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What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II


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Just saw Hostel. Clever title, cool movie. The first 30 or 40 minutes are hyper-surreal, the way the girls act, the way the dialogue flows. I think this was intentional, in order to give it an odd texture, so when the violence and gore comes, it makes a bigger impact. I think it was pretty effective. Most of the violence is not shown, and the audience is left to react more to the actors screams and reactions then the actual torture. Most of the gore is shown as an after effect or the result of that violence. Some of it's pretty nasty.

So if you're a fan of those 70s grindhouse flicks, and can stomach some nasty stuff, then I think you could reasonably enjoy this movie as much as I did.

A good primer is Cabin Fever. If you were able to keep up with the constant stylistic shifts and changes in tone of that film, then Hostel should be a walk in the park, despite its heightened sense of dread and disgust.

Tim

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JARHEAD....Sam Mendes' third venture into celluloid. Didn't he learn anything from AMERICAN BEAUTY and ROAD TO PERDITION. (He did, Hitch...he won Oscars where you didn't). BASTARD. As "war" movies go, this doesn't pack the same punch as FULL METAL JACKET but it is worth seeing for some good performances from Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gylanhaal. Outstanding cinematography from Roger Deakins (regular Mendes DP Conrad L. Hall died after ROAD TO PERDITION was filmed and received an posthumous Oscar for his work) and Thomas Newman's sparse score is indeed that. Sparse.

GODS AND MONSTERS....Stellar performances from Sir Ian McKellan and Lyn Redgrave who were robbed of Oscars. Brendan Fraser was the big surprise and more than proves that he is more than screen eye-candy. His turn in CRASH proves this fact. G&M is an outstanding movie and the many times I have watched never fails to disappoint. Go see it. "He's never met a Princess...only Queens". Watch it, rent it, borrow it or steal it.

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JARHEAD....Sam Mendes' third venture into celluloid.  Didn't he learn anything from AMERICAN BEAUTY and ROAD TO PERDITION.  

I haven't seen Jarhead but Road To Perdition already proved that Mendes was lucky with American Beauty.

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I never liked some of Michael Kahn's editing on this movie. On the Region 1 DVD, the scene where Carol Ann demonstrates her sliding abilities across the floor of the kitchen for her dad....she slides across then the movie cuts straight away to Mom and Dad standing outside the next door neighbors house slapping away the mosquitos. I never quite figured this out. Is there a missing scene? Was this the theatrical version released? Michael Kahn won an Oscar the year before for RAIDERS! Was this ever proved?? POLTERGEIST is a great movie...great performances, great direction from whomever you want to believe directed it...Spielberg or Hooper??? I always say it's one of Jerry's best scores and had it not been in direct competition with Johnny that year, he may have won it. Ok, the effects look dated now (and remastering wouldn't go astray) but wow did they thrill us in the 1980s!! (For those of us who can remember back that far!!!) 8O

Please someone, put me out of my misery.

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I haven't seen Jarhead but Road To Perdition already proved that Mendes was lucky with American Beauty.

But isn't it possible for him to be lucky again?

He did get lucky again by marrying Kate Winslet. LOL

And anyway the Academy had to make it up to DreamWorks for the debacle that happened the year before by giving the Best Picture to Shakespeare In Love over Saving Private Ryan. Some consolation!!!!

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The narrative which flows throughout the film is spectacular. Characters are compelling, performances are brilliant across the board and the concluding chase and finale is some of the best cinematic work I've seen in quite a while.

Yup. I was really surprised by this film when I saw it first.

I now have to give a special nod to Patrick Doyle's stirring score. Doyle's theme is a moving and emotional work for strings with bookends the film, and his 10 minute Grand Central chase cue is one of the best film to screen cue's of his career.

Oh, yes. The score is really terrific in the film, especialy the finale, one of the best action cues I've heard (and one of the few to take center stage in the mix). And Carlito's run to Gail at the end...the score is just so spot on.

The Third Man. Just as good as I remembered. :thumbup:

One of my absolute favorites.

JARHEAD....Sam Mendes' third venture into celluloid. As "war" movies go, this doesn't pack the same punch as FULL METAL JACKET but it is worth seeing for some good performances from Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gylanhaal.  Outstanding cinematography from Roger Deakins (regular Mendes DP Conrad L. Hall died after ROAD TO PERDITION was filmed and received an posthumous Oscar for his work) and Thomas Newman's sparse score is indeed that.  Sparse.  

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

I haven't seen Jarhead but Road To Perdition already proved that Mendes was lucky with American Beauty.

The minority opinion deserves to be heard as well. Thank you for providing it, Alex.

I saw a whole bunch of movies over the past few days. They were largely picked out by a group of people who, well......if we are plebs to to Alex, these are the kind of fiml goers I would concider plebs. I actually lasted far longer than I expected, finally throwing in the towel when they put on a Steven Segal film.

So, in no particular order:

The Transporter & The Transporter 2.Pretty banal action films. One things, however, they did have, are some fun action scenes. It's nice to see an B-grade (or is it C-grade?) action film that has some character to it's action scenes, a sense of humor.

Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County. A Blair Witch-like tv movie about a fmaily abducted by aliens. Pretty engaging at first, with some convincing faux-home video acting. However, it is entirely devoid of scares, and the acting of the little girl and the grandmother is terrible, totaly ruining the mood of the film.

After School Special. A bad, baaaaad American Pie wannabe. Saving Graces- Sarah-Jane Potts' chest, and Horatio Sanz as Vic Ramalot, clearly based on Ron Jeremy.

American Pie: Band Camp. An even worse American Pie wannabe. No saving graces.

King Kong. Only saw the first hour this time around. One major observation: all the guys on the 'Venture', save the captain, are really terrible cliches that are not well done. They could have worked in a more campy mode, but not the way this movie did it. Painful scenes there, especialy with Hayes and Jimmy. Serkis is fun when he's on screen, but I don't think they did enough with his character.

A lot of sloppiness in the film, along with the greatness.

Saw II. The first film was recommended to me by a lot of people, but I never got around to it (probably because they were the same kind of filmgoers who recommened The Life of David Gale and The Butterfly Effect as two of the greatest films ever). I had a pretty good time with the sequel. Engaging, sometimes sickening (and not always in a bad way). The ending wasn't bad, if not all that unexpected. I wish Tobin Bell would be used to greater effect. He does a reasonable job, but the part calls for very little from him.

Part of Scream. I forgot how entertaining this film was.

Last film I can remember is Four Brothers. While watching this, I was reminded of the words of Bill The Butcher in Gangs of New York: "You are neither cold nor hot. So because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth.".

Not a bad film, not a good film. No particularly great stuff about it, no particularly terrible stuff about it. I liked the concept fo the four brothers, but little else beyond that. Plot wise, it is boring, tame and rather predictable. I wasn't all that impressed with the score, that a lot of people seems to really like.

Morlock- who has rarely seen a less reputable bunch of films in a row.

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Saw Match Point. A really excellent film. People say they didn't sense Allen hear, but I felt his presence throughout. First of all, in the film's similarity at points to some of his other films (I thought of Crimes and Misdemeanors, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Manhatten and Hannah and Her Sisters). Secondly, the use of the music. I doubt any other director would be as ball-sy. But mainly, in the deftness of it. It is really quite admirably built and presented. The film feels great overall, with a few sparkling moments of brilliance. Acting is top notch. Rhys-Meyers is absolutely fantastic, a little Stephen Glass, a lot of Tom Ripley. First place I've liked Scarlett Johanssen in (Well, recently. I loved her in Ghost World). She does great work, and really looks amazing.

I've had my share of disagreements with Roger Ebert in recent times, but I think he summed up the film very well in his review:

"Match Point," which deserves to be ranked with Allen's "Annie Hall," "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Manhattan," "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Everyone Says I Love You," has a terrible fascination that lasts all the way through. We can see a little way ahead, we can anticipate some of the mistakes and hazards, but the movie is too clever for us, too cynical. We expect the kinds of compromises and patented endings that most thrillers provide, and this one goes right to the wall. There are cops hanging around trying to figure out what, if anything, anyone in the movie might have been up to, but they're too smart and logical to figure this one out. Bad luck.
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Blah, Poltergeist is perfect entertainment.  Your criticisms are just picky!

The film is great entertainment but I was hoping for something more intelectual rather than just a big action/horror finale.

Yeah STONE HIM!

Damn kids these days!

the musik was all winey. were was your ja'smo??? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOhahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!

Justin

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Red Eye

One of the worst movies I have seen in some time. I didn't expect much and that still wasn't enough. My only question is, what the heck was Brian Cox involving himself with this? Must have just been punching the time clock here.

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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (2005): :|

I remember nothing from this movie, save for the Whale song, which is pretty darn catchy.

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Match Point - Fascinating, incredible, amazing, a really great movie and a huge improvement of Allen from his previous two or three films

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Starting at New Years Eve . . .

Fun With Dick and Jane

Meh. All the good stuff was in the trailers. If anyone else saw this, did you notice that they used "The Reptile Room" from Thomas Newman's Snicket during the scene with all the migrant workers or whatever being arrested? What's with that?!?! Did they forget to remove the temp track? Did they just think the composer couldn't come up with anything else better? Are they even allowed to do that?! It struck me as very weird, and was sadly the only thing that lingered with me after the movie. C

Edward Scissorhands

Second time I saw this. A classic for sure. Funny, touching, and wonderfully weird. One of Elfman's best scores, and one of the most beautiful ever. The film is like a musical narrative, I just love it. A

Peter Pan

Perhaps not as magical as it was for me back in 2003; there were a lot more "silly" moments than I remembered. Still, though, great acting from the kids (much better than the first two Potter films; then again, what isn't?) and the adults. Jason Isaccs is wonderful as both Mr. Darling and Hook. I love the fairytale look of the film, from the London beginning to the space part, where there are about 100 planets, it's very imaginative. The CG is okay for the most part, except for one dreadful part in the Flying sequence. Although the photography is rather uninspired, the framing of each shot is magnificent. Each shot seems like it would be a perfect freeze frame. The color contrast throughout is also wonderful; on the Jolly Roger towards the end in the shadows it's very noticeable.

There are two virtuoso scenes in this film. The first is the Flying sequence, especially the lead-up to it. I love the slow-motion shots of the parents running down the hall, and the narration makes it all the more magical. The second is the Fairy Dance scene, which is beautifully photographed (I especially love the shot of Peter and Wendy rising above the trees while fairies swirl around them with the giant moon in the background). And, of course, these scenes are both made what they are by James Newton Howard's exquisite score.

The music is kept relatively low in the film, which is terrible. This is a score that should be at full volume all the time! It's emotional, adventurous, and very fitting. It's the score that got me introduced to JNH in the first place, and it's still my favorite of his, and one of my all-time favorites. It encompasses everything he has to offer. In watching the film, I discovered two little bits of cues that I never realized were actual themes, and one entirely new one. It's a perfect score, every track has something great about it. "Flying" and "Fairy Dance" are, as Ray Barnsbury once so eloquently put it, a total JNH-job. LOL There are some great unreleased cues, as well. Peter Pan is JNH's masterpiece. Too bad the score kept so low in the film. (I know I've rambled about the score, but the rating is for the film.) B+

King Kong

I seem to be enjoying it a bit less with each viewing. I still like it a lot, but I found myself annoyed when I remembered during the Central Park scene that we still had the looooong bi-plane attack to go. Great score, still. But, as I loved the film at first, I still give it a B+

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

I love the opening, which is dripping with sarcasm and keeps the spirit of the books alive. But then, I don't know. Not a bad film, but it just doesn't click so well with me. I like the narration and Thomas Newman's score is great at times (especially "The Letter That Never Came" is absolutely beautiful; half of the rest of the score is appropriate, but rather uninteresting), but it's just a mediocre movie. Klaus and Violet look at each other in awe a LOT, which got annoying after a while. I didn't much care for the cinematography at Count Olaf's home. Speaking of which, Carrey's portrayal is for the most part . . . not so great. Too silly. I really like Timothy Spall as Mr. Poe, though ("I'M DRIVING NEXT TO A TRAIN!!!"). An okay adaptation, but not keeping enough with the spirit of the books (except, of course, for the "Loverly Spring" sequence). B-

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I still love this film. It just comes together very nicely. The performances are very good (the score is IMO great), and it's a great adventure into a world I hadn't yet experienced; it has inspired me to ask for the boxed set of Narnia books for my birthday, though. One of my favorite films, methinks. A-

War of the Worlds

I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did in the theater, but I was in a rather melancholy mood. I don't much care for the Ogilvy subplot. The movie, I think, was made for theaters specifically: there are a lot of gaps after jokes for laughter it seems, but it was still funny to me. It has some great action scenes, great performances all around (especially Dakota fanning is phenomenal for such a young age, even if she does scream a bit too much), some stunning CG shots, and awesome camera-work (the escape from the city, of course). The score works very well in the film. Spielberg did a great job on this one, and it's one of my favorite films of 2005. A-

I've been wanting to post these for a while, it feels good to finally do so! :joy:

~Sturgis

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War of the Worlds

I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did in the theater, but I was in a rather melancholy mood.  I don't much care for the Ogilvy subplot.  The movie, I think, was made for theaters specifically: there are a lot of gaps after jokes for laughter it seems, but it was still funny to me.  It has some great action scenes, great performances all around (especially Dakota fanning is phenomenal for such a young age, even if she does scream a bit too much), some stunning CG shots, and awesome camera-work (the escape from the city, of course).  The score works very well in the film.  Spielberg did a great job on this one, and it's one of my favorite films of 2005.  A-

I thought that the Ogilvy plot was wonderful. The worst part about it (if you could call it "worst") is that the 'Probing the Basement' scene reminds me too much of 'The Raptor Attack' from Jurassic Park. Although I adore Williams deep string throbs when Tim Robbins and Tom Cruise start fighting over the gun. A surprisingly great moment score-to-film.

Justin - who liked WOTW more when he watched the second time on DVD.

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War of the Worlds

I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did in the theater, but I was in a rather melancholy mood.  I don't much care for the Ogilvy subplot.  The movie, I think, was made for theaters specifically: there are a lot of gaps after jokes for laughter it seems, but it was still funny to me.  It has some great action scenes, great performances all around (especially Dakota fanning is phenomenal for such a young age, even if she does scream a bit too much), some stunning CG shots, and awesome camera-work (the escape from the city, of course).  The score works very well in the film.  Spielberg did a great job on this one, and it's one of my favorite films of 2005.  A-

I thought that the Ogilvy plot was wonderful. The worst part about it (if you could call it "worst") is that the 'Probing the Basement' scene reminds me too much of 'The Raptor Attack' from Jurassic Park. Although I adore Williams deep string throbs when Tim Robbins and Tom Cruise start fighting over the gun. A surprisingly great moment score-to-film.

Justin - who liked WOTW more when he watched the second time on DVD.

I agree, I like that part of the score, too. It's not that I don't like that part of the film, it's very well done; I shouldn't have said I didn't like it, it just feels . . . weird. It's hard to explain, I still enjoy it, NEVERMIND! :joy:

~Sturgis

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Although the photography is rather uninspired, the framing of each shot is magnificent.  Each shot seems like it would be a perfect freeze frame.

Isn't that kind of contradictory?

- Marc, who hasn't seen this, but wants to.

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Edward Scissorhands

Second time I saw this.  A classic for sure.  Funny, touching, and wonderfully weird.  One of Elfman's best scores, and one of the most beautiful ever.  The film is like a musical narrative, I just love it.  A

I think the film, visually and story-wise, doesn't live up to the music.

Peter Pan

I adored this film. Haven't seen it in a while though. And I am quite fond of the score.

King Kong.I seem to be enjoying it a bit less with each viewing.  

You and me both, brother.

I saw Brokeback Mountain. Most overrated film I've seen this year.

It is a good love story, maybe even a very good love story. But the film is nothing great or sensational or any other superlative that's been said about it. This film is getting all the press and awards mostly because it's the gay cowboy movie.

The acting is very good. The film looks fine, nothing amazing, no particularly great visuals in it.

The score is just as overrated as the film itself. It is an effective score. It is nothing great by any stretch. It is one heck of a mnipulative score. Now, of course, that's part of a score's function. But too often while watching this film, I felt I was being manipulated by the score to feel more for these characters, not a good thing.

Good actors playing good characters acting out a good story, looking and sounding good enough while doing it. Sounds to me like a good movie, nothing more. ***/****.

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Although the photography is rather uninspired, the framing of each shot is magnificent.  Each shot seems like it would be a perfect freeze frame.

Isn't that kind of contradictory?

- Marc, who hasn't seen this, but wants to.

Well, I meant the camera work is somewhat uninspired. A lot of the conversations seem to be one person's head, then another person's head, etc. But the peoples' heads are framed very nicely. ;)

Aside from the rather bland camera-work, it's visually magnificent. You ought to see it. It's quite magical. :mrgreen:

~Sturgis

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Although the photography is rather uninspired, the framing of each shot is magnificent.  Each shot seems like it would be a perfect freeze frame.

Isn't that kind of contradictory?

- Marc, who hasn't seen this, but wants to.

Well, I meant the camera work is somewhat uninspired. A lot of the conversations seem to be one person's head, then another person's head, etc. But the peoples' heads are framed very nicely. ;)

Then I'd think the editing was uninspired. :mrgreen:

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finished the whole Firefly series, definately one of the best shows I've ever seen.

One Day in September

Fascinating documentary, definately worth watching after seeing Munich

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One Day in September

Fascinating documentary, definately worth watching after seeing Munich

It is excellent, but the shots juxatposing the Munich Games with the Nazi stuff was garrishly and offensively inappropriate.

I saw Gettysberg. Quite a movie. While certainly not perfect, and having some really corny and convincing stuff, and having some bad camera work, it is nevertheless an involving, poweful, and sweeping film. Most of that is due to the performances- which are simply phenominal throughout. Martin Sheen totally embodies Lee. Tom Berenger is at his best as Longstreet, so understated and reserved, until the scenes near the end, when he breaks down. Jeff daniels is great, and, surprisingly, so is C. Thomas Howell, as his brother (I NEVER thought I'd find myself liking the star of Soul Man). Stephen Lang is excellent as Pickett, really larger than life. Kavin Conway is quite touching. Sam Elliot and Brian Mallon are also notable. But, to me, the best performer was Richard Jordan, in his last role. A fantastic character actor, gives a really touching and emotional performance.

Sets, costumes, scenery all looks extremely believable. The camera work is excellent overall, but a lot of the overhead shots of the charges are all jittery and not really focused.

The music does get a bit overly dramatic and corny at times, but is really terrific nonetheless. Too bad about the synths, though. Anyone know if this was budgetary or simply Edelman's choice?

A moving and emotional flawed epic which paints a convincing portrait of the Civil War. ***1/2/****.

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Yes, Gettysburg is full of great performances. I think I prefer Sheen to Duvall in Gods and General's.

Then again the later isn't nearly a memorable film.

Justin

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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

For some reason, this movie is flying largely under the radar here. But it's definitely one to watch. Hilarious stuff.

It was shorter than I expected, though (103 minutes, while I expected a full 120), so I was thinking at first the climax was just leading up to something bigger.

You should go see it, though. Not world-shockingly good, but one of the more entertaining and similarly intelligent films you'll find.

- Marc, who went by himself and found only a few people in the theatre, so went and sat right in the middle. :mrgreen:

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I also just saw Match Point, which was absorbing all the way through. The dialogue is crisp and energetic, and came to a great climax. What I really liked is that everything that happened was a result of the characters staying true to their personalities, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary, rushed or forced, despite some of the aweful things that take place.

I'll be seeing The New World tonight, looking forward to seeing it.

Tim

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Yes, Gettysburg is full of great performances. I think I prefer Sheen to Duvall in Gods and General's.

Then again the later isn't nearly a memorable film.

Haven't seen it. Is there anything worthwhile about it?

Glory. I find this a bit better than Gettysburg, and I'm not exactly sure why...

I don't know, when I saw this film, it was a total miss for me. I recall having a problem with the cinematography.

Saw Narnia. Wonderful film. Since I really liked it, I'll get the negative out of the way first. Three major things bothered me.

First of all, the design and look of a lot of the creatures in the two armies. Most of them ranged from ugly to unconvincing to childish to annoying to look at. They made the film look very Disney-ish, in a bad way.

Secondly, I didn't like some of the Disney-ish shots showing the kids in the utmost, cliched heroic shots. Those also made it look like some fluffy and childish children's movie.

The third prolbem is bigger, and Roger Ebert says it best: '(The film is)confident for the first two acts that it can be wonderful without having to hammer us into enjoying it, or else. Then it starts hammering.' The first half was marvelous, but the closer we came to the climax, the less interesting and exciting the film was. I guess this is because I don't like Aslan in the film. He's just this dogmatic figure, not lovable or even likable. He's just this figure. I wish he would have been a warmer character.

Anyhow, now on to the good stuff.

I wasn't sure at all what to expect from the film (other than Christian references), but it just drew me in, and, as as I said, I absolutely loved it at the halfway point.

The child actors were good in this. The girl playing Lucy did get a bit annoying, but only a bit.

James McAvoy was very good as Tumnus.

Tilda Swinton was very good as the Witch. MY only complaint is a costume choice- she was given very short sleeves for a lot of it, and I think it didn't look good at all.

But for me, the actor I loved most in the film is Ray Winstone as the voice of beaver. When I heard him first, I couldn't believe it, I thought it was such an odd choice for the role of the fuzzy, wise-cracking animal side kick. But Winstone was wonderful in the role.

I am not all that familar with the books, but the animated series really left an impression on me as a kid, and this film captured the clssic elements very well. The Professor, The lamp post, Lucy's first venture into the world, Edmund's first meeting with the Witch- all done very well. Even the Father Christmas scene I liked (Loved seeing James Cosmo), not as disney-ish as it could have been.

The film overall looked excellent. The VFX were sometimes were a bit on the weak side, but Narnia felt like a tangible, magical place. A lot of the credit for that goes to veteran DP Don McAlpine, who's always done great work on films large and small, and done fantastic work here.

Now, the score. This has been kind of controvercial. People were hoping for a new LoTR or HP, and what HGW provided was neither. I must admit, even being the big HGW fan that I am, the MV beats bothered me. They almost worked a couple of times when they were buried in the mix, having a kind of hypnotic quality, but overall, they did not fit the film, except for the Blitz track.

The rest of the score worked fantastically in the film. A bit too much of children's score on CD, but worked perfectly in the film. The moments of wonder were...well, full of wonder, musically. The one time, however, that I feel the music was really working overtime, and really transported me to a magical place, is the Lullaby. It is a dark, hypnotic, beautiful little piece, that I fell in love with.

A lot of people talk about 'The Battle'. I personaly was not so impressed. HGW is still sounding a bit too much like Tyler's Children of Dune. And they left out the best part of it- the section where the eagles (or whatever flying creatures they were) drop the stones on the Witches army, I remember a woderful string piece.

Overall, the movie suffers from some Disney-ish elements, limiting it's scope, and last 45 minutes or so are not nearly as good as the opening 90 minutes, but still, this film transported me to a magical world, something that is not easy to do.

***1/2 out of ****.

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After reading what Marc said about it recently, I rented From Russia With Love last night.

I liked the second half a little better. During the beginning, I found it a bit confusing and hard to follow, but once some things were explained, it was very very enjoyable. A classic Bond movie for sure, and it has a great plot, etc. I really liked the whole sequence on the train, and the build-up to the fight on the train was very tense. A really good film. :)

The DVD had a very interesting "Making Of" feature. It sounds like the production of the movie was more adventurous and dramatic than the film itself. 8O

~Sturgis

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I saw "Match Point." I still don't like Scarlett Johanssen. She was the only person in the movie trying to be a movie character, instead of a Woody Allen character, who is based more in reality. I didn't buy that she was so seductive every single second, yet she couldn't get a movie role. Anyway, I liked the concept of luck running through the movie. The final 30 minutes were perfectly executed.

To tell you the truth, I went in expecting a bad movie, and that critics just wanted to praise Woody for being different. But the writing, the acting (except for Scarlett), the scenery, all great. And Chris and Chloe's apartment was stunning! Now I really want to visit London.

I also finished the six-part series "The Decalogue" by Krysztof Kieslowski. Five of the 10 stories are great. The other five run too long. If you don't know about it, the series is 10 hourlong films that have something to say about the Ten Commandments, set in a Warsaw apartment complex.

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MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA...the sequel to the John Wayne movie THE BARBARIAN AND THE GEISHA.

Great visuals, great music, great book. Bad screenplay, lousy direction, cinematography too dark in places but when it shines, it shines bright. Those dazzling colors had me color blind for hours and an almost Oriental wooden cast to die for. Even the killer from SILENCE OF THE LAMBS can't ham it up. Overall 3 out of 5. The music never ceases to stop throughout the movie and there is a lot of Japanese source music...check out those end credits.

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 Now, the score. This has been kind of controvercial. People were hoping for a new LoTR or HP, and what HGW provided was neither. I must admit, even being the big HGW fan that I am, the MV beats bothered me. They almost worked a couple of times when they were buried in the mix, having a kind of hypnotic quality, but overall, they did not fit the film, except for the Blitz track.

 The rest of the score worked fantastically in the film. A bit too much of children's score on CD, but worked perfectly in the film. The moments of wonder were...well, full of wonder, musically. The one time, however, that I feel the music was really working overtime, and really transported me to a magical place, is the Lullaby. It is a dark, hypnotic, beautiful little piece, that I fell in love with.

 A lot of people talk about 'The Battle'. I personaly was not so impressed. HGW is still sounding a bit too much like Tyler's Children of Dune. And they left out the best part of it- the section where the eagles (or whatever flying creatures they were) drop the stones on the Witches army, I remember a woderful string piece.

:) You know, you got me into HGW with Kingdom of heaven, and i now like narnia too. I feel somewhat guilty and dirty ( :roll: ) for liking mediaventures sound (one of my fav tracks is the blitz...). And you now no not enjoy the MV sound in this movie?! 8O

I think the battle is complete until the heartbeat charge and comes when aslan joins the battle. I could swear the eagles (they are some griffons leading and army of eagles i think) music is in there since i loved that scene too, and i checked the movie... Maybe in the movie is an alernate with more prominent strings?

About KISS KISS BANG BANG.

Has this movie anything to do with james bond (some joke or something)? Cause that's how the japanesse call bond inst it? (Mr. Kiss kiss bang bang)

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:thumbup: You know, you got me into HGW with Kingdom of heaven, and i now like narnia too. I feel somewhat guilty and dirty ( :roll: ) for liking mediaventures sound (one of my fav tracks is the blitz...). And you now no not enjoy the MV sound in this movie?! :)  

Well, I'm far, far, far more lenient on the MV sound than most, but I do like a separation between my MV stuff and everything else. I love HGW because he is so great outside of the MV stuff, in the purely orchestral realm. I never liked his MV writing (unlike Zimmer, where where I like his MV stuff and I love his non-MV stuff).

Speaking of a movie featuring Ray Winstone and Tilda Swinton...I saw Tim Roth's The War Zone. Absolutely devastating movie. At the begining, I thought maybe what I heard about the film was inacurate, there's not the slightest hint of it. It is really, really, well made and it's not dragged out at all. Even though I love it, Breaking the Waves is a bit too long, and my rear hurt too much to care as much as I would have liked. 94 minutes, a lean, raw, powerful film.

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:thumbup: You know, you got me into HGW with Kingdom of heaven, and i now like narnia too. I feel somewhat guilty and dirty ( :roll: ) for liking mediaventures sound (one of my fav tracks is the blitz...). And you now no not enjoy the MV sound in this movie?! :)  

There really aren't any MV sounding parts in Kingdom of Heavan, one of the finer points of the score

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Se7en. Great film but I can't believe I missed the twist ending...

Everyone missed the twist ending to that film. I've watched it several times over and each time I think to myself how obvious the twist is. Yet you never see it comming until he opens that dang box.

Justin

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Se7en. Great film but I can't believe I missed the twist ending...

Everyone missed the twist ending to that film. I've watched it several times over and each time I think to myself how obvious the twist is. Yet you never see it comming until he opens that dang box.

Justin

Hey its better to miss it then have someone tell you what is going to happen before you watch the end. :baaa:

On another note, I just saw Bridge on the River Kwai. I thought it was supposed to be a good classic, but all it did was make me really mad. Now whenever I watch Star Wars and see Obi-Wan I am going to be scarred into wishing him dead.

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