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What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II


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Some people find Superman The Movie campy probably because of the goofy humor in the second part. I don't mind that. I agree it's delightfully campy (Miss Teshmacher!!!). Other plusses are the amazing photography by Geoffrey Unsworth (never again has a Donner movie looked as good) and Christopher Reeve's performance which makes sure it's still one of the most heartfelt superhero characters in movie world. Give me a high five!

Alex

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IMHO, Superman The Movie is a masterpiece and I'll be eternally grateful to all who had anything to do with it, especially Dick Donner, Chris Reeve and John Williams, of course. ;)

To stay on the topic: Under Siege.

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Some people find Superman The Movie campy probably because of the goofy humor in the second part. I don't mind that. I agree it's delightfully campy (Miss Teshmacher!!!). Other plusses are the amazing photography by Geoffrey Unsworth (never again has a Donner movie looked as good) and Christopher Reeve's performance which makes sure it's still one of the most heartfelt superhero characters in movie world. Give me a high five!

Alex

I don't think it's one of the grestest films ever, like some here. But when I watch it, i come of it feeling happy and satisfied. Something I did not feel when I saw the Brian Singer version.

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I don't think it's one of the grestest films ever, like some here. But when I watch it, i come of it feeling happy and satisfied. Something I did not feel when I saw the Brian Singer version.

Of course Superman The Movie is not the greatest film ever made but it still functions as a prototype, a standard after which every other comic book film adaptation is copied.

Alex

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as I've often said about Superman, its not a perfect film, but its perfect entertainment.

Marian may feel the Xmen films are better but he's wrong

None of the Xmen movies are as beautifully shot as Superman

None of the Xmen movies are as beautifully scored as Superman

None of the Xmen movies are as well acted as Superman

None of the Xmen movies are as well directed as Superman

None of the Xmen movies achieve what Superman does in art direction

Thats not to say the Xmen films aren't good, the first one is good, the 2nd is terrific, and the third, well it suffers from thirditis.

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None of the Xmen movies are as beautifully shot as Superman

Perhaps, I don't remember it that well. The X-Mens do look beautiful at times, but SM might be much better there.

None of the Xmen movies are as beautifully scored as Superman

Obviously.

None of the Xmen movies are as well acted as Superman

None of the acting in SM impressed me (no, I don't get the fuss about Reeve, either). The XMs have a stellar cast.

None of the Xmen movies are as well directed as Superman

I thought SM fell apart after the arrival in Metropolis.

None of the Xmen movies achieve what Superman does in art direction

Again, I don't remember it that well.

What bothers me most about SM though is that the script is very good for the first part... and then it just seems to stop bothering.

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Checked out the DVD rip of the new TMNT. I enjoyed it better now I was able to see it in crystal clear quality (and perfect sound). It's a fun movie and if you're a TMNT fan you need to check it out.

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The biggest 'flaw' of the movie is the father-son battle at the end. The idea was special enough but somehow I think it came out all wrong.

Alex

I agree, that was somewhat of a letdown.

Superman may not be a great film but it is the best super hero film that has been made to this day.

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X-Men: The Last Stand sucked because it wasn't directed by Brian Singer. Most of the time when a franchise changes directors, bad things happen.

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I thought SM fell apart after the arrival in Metropolis.

Again, I don't remember it that well.

What bothers me most about SM though is that the script is very good for the first part... and then it just seems to stop bothering.

Totally agree

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X-Men: The Last Stand sucked because it wasn't directed by Brian Singer. Most of the time when a franchise changes directors, bad things happen.

Yeah, he was busy masturbating to the aforementioned Superman - The Movie.

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Meh, most of you don't know how to enjoy a film these days with out being nit picky about it.

For me, it just failed to resolve intriguing ideas and setups from the first two films (the backstory and relationship between Professor X and Magneto, Rogue and Logan, etc.) And the things it did address were just not given much meaning (Jean Grey's storyline, the mutant cure, etc), which was disappointing considering I felt the first two films had real heart. I'm all for enjoying popcorn fun without being overly critical, but in this case I don't think I'm nitpicking; it just didn't live up to what it could have been based on the previous installments.

Ray Barnsbury

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Meh, most of you don't know how to enjoy a film these days with out being nit picky about it.

For me, it just failed to resolve intriguing ideas and setups from the first two films (the backstory and relationship between Professor X and Magneto, Rogue and Logan, etc.) And the things it did address were just not given much meaning (Jean Grey's storyline, the mutant cure, etc), which was disappointing considering I felt the first two films had real heart. I'm all for enjoying popcorn fun without being overly critical, but in this case I don't think I'm nitpicking; it just didn't live up to what it could have been based on the previous installments.

Ray Barnsbury

You mean it didn't live up to your expectations, right? :) After all a lot of people have enjoyed X-3, but it's clear most of you on here do not.

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X-Men: The Last Stand sucked because it wasn't directed by Brian Singer. Most of the time when a franchise changes directors, bad things happen.

Yeah, he was busy masturbating to the aforementioned Superman - The Movie.

No he was busy jerking himself off over his crappy Superman Returns.

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One of X3's biggest problems was that it was too short. With all the stuff going on in it, rushing to wrap everything up was unneeded and in poor judgement. I really hated how the cure storyline ended, with Rogue (for what seemed like no good reason) inexplicably taking the "antidote". All these things are made worse by the fact that the film was supposed to be a grand finale for the first two, which were great.

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Superman may not be a great film but it is the best super hero film that has been made to this day.

Actually I think it is a great film, a masterpiece even, albeit a flawed one.

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Such a boring character. Otis and Luthor are the only interesting characters in the film. Even though as Clark Kent, is almost interesting....until you remember that this interesting exterior is a cover for Superman, a dull an utterly uninteresing character.

As Superman films go...this one might be a masterpiece. Under any other standards, I don't see how it can be. Music, cinematography, and likable performances do not make up for the screenplays flaws, whether they are inherent, or just due to Tom Manckiewicz not being a very good writer.

And it being the best comic book movie is both highly questionable (I can think of at least 3 I'd rather watch), and, not saying very much, concidering the rather muddy reputation of the genre.

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Save your criticisms for Catwoman.

... or for Smallville, the TV series. If Morlock's comments pertained to that show's Clark Kent (and Lois Lane and Pa & ma Kent, etc.) then I would agree with him.

ALex

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I have never seen Catwoman, nor Smallville for any serious length of time. I like Chris Reeve's performance a lot (As Clark Kent). But Superman is just not an interesting character in my eyes. Not interesting at all. The only real interest for me is the camp, the gloriously over the top Luthor-Ottis-Miss Tessmacher scenes. And Larry Hagman's cameo, of course. Those are great fun. And it's all worth it for Geoff Unsworth, as well as the score, of course. I love that JW acknowledged both the mythic elements of Superman (Krypton, Fortress of Solitude, The Trip to earth, Smallville), and how ultimately goofy and old-fashioned Superman is (in a very affectionate way).

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I I love that JW acknowledged both the mythic elements of Superman (Krypton, Fortress of Solitude, The Trip to earth, Smallville)

Exactly! The first half of the score is almost a Superman Symphony.

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I see it's flaws more clearly than the last time I saw it (my first viewing, about 5 years ago), but, still, I love it. One of my favorite westerns. I don't think it underlines the concept of the myth of the man who shot Liberty Valance enough, the love triangle doesn't really play out enough, and the character of Tom Doniphon seems a bit lacking....but still, it's a terrific film, with a great ending. I love the image of Jimmy Stewart at the end, after telling his tale, with one of his feet up, knowing which story the guy's gonna print. ***1/2/****.

PS- I don't know why Cyril Mockinridge is credited with the score, since aside from the main title, the only score I noticed was the repeated use of Alfred Newman's beautiful love theme from Young Mr. Lincoln.

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I can't be 100% certain, but I seem to remember the Main Title sounds very similar to The Bravados (also A. Newman).

EDIT: Just listened to them, they're not that similar.

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And I followed that up by a sumptuous treat of a film- The Killing. I thought the film might dissapoint, as I've read so much about it, I knew the ending, and I thought it simply couldn't hold up to the credit 'Directed by Stanley Kubrick'. But, man, I loved it. It's the first time in a long time I've seen Kubrick film for the first time (and, come to think of it...I've liked just about all of his films the first time around, aside from Spartacus and 2001, which I only liked the second time aroud). Wow. The film is so alive! Such an exciting, intelligent, and, ultimately, satisfying heist film. The time lapse-editing is used to great effect- it makes the story feel more convoluted than it really is (in a good way), but also explains exactly the right amount at the right point. You gradually get an idea of the heist, but there are details that are thought out that didn't occur to me until they happened.

Love the look and feel of the film. At times very moody and noirish, and at times surprisingly innocuous and 'normal' looking.

Gerald Fried's score in a way doesn't mesh perfectly with the images...but it fits the mood very well.

Performances are very good. Just about every one is believable. Although the scene where the cops pull the shirt off the wrestler just for the sake of it was a bit pushing it. Sterling Hayden is great in the lead, he suggests more than the story spells out to us.

(I know it's 50 years old...but still, just in case- SPOILER WARNING)

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The last time we see the money was spoiled for me by the Kubrick documentry a few years ago...but not too badly. The image of the money blowing away is surprisingly beautiful. And the last shot, of 'The End' framed by the two cops, is fantastic

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(END SPOILERS)

An entirely satisfying film. Really suspensful, I never felt lost, and I didn't see the big picture until it was shown to me. An ideal straight-heist film. And I've seen the last 11 Kubrick films, and I've liked every single one of them to one degree or another. This one is up there for me, together with Dr. Strangelove and Paths of Glory (which is not to exclude the others...I admire much about all the others. Although I must give Eyes Wide Shut and Lolita another viewing sometime soon).

****/****.

P.S. About the infamous narration. I don't know, I wasn't that bothered by it. Generally, it was so inane as to work as kind of a sideline, a parody of narration in film noir ("Sherry wakes up at seven in the morning", or something to that effect).

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The Simpsons Movie.Though I hardly wach the new TV episodes anymore,the movie was great. I haven't laughed like this in a long time.

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I concur with what most of the big fans have said. It hit the spot. It was funny. It was not the greatest movie ever (or the 41st greatest movie ever, according to the imdb), but....it was right.

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Meh, most of you don't know how to enjoy a film these days with out being nit picky about it. :thumbup:
no most of us appreciate quality, X-Men 3 was sorely lacking that.

It was clearly the weakest of an average trilogy. One was good, Two was very good, and 3 was "lacking"

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I have never seen Catwoman, nor Smallville for any serious length of time. I like Chris Reeve's performance a lot (As Clark Kent). But Superman is just not an interesting character in my eyes. Not interesting at all. The only real interest for me is the camp, the gloriously over the top Luthor-Ottis-Miss Tessmacher scenes. And Larry Hagman's cameo, of course. Those are great fun. And it's all worth it for Geoff Unsworth, as well as the score, of course. I love that JW acknowledged both the mythic elements of Superman (Krypton, Fortress of Solitude, The Trip to earth, Smallville), and how ultimately goofy and old-fashioned Superman is (in a very affectionate way).
again you destroy your credibility with your uncertainty of Christopher Reeve's performance (watch the scene where he almost reveals himself as Superman to Lois) which is nearly universally regarded as "Super".
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again you destroy your credibility with your uncertainty of Christopher Reeve's performance (watch the scene where he almost reveals himself as Superman to Lois) which is nearly universally regarded as "Super".

I didn't slight Reeve, but the character.

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The charm of the character Superman is that he does seem to belong in a more innocent time. These days every super hero needs to have a dark side, being a Superhero to satisfy some inner demons. Superman is just the most altruistic of them all.

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The charm of the character Superman is that he does seem to belong in a more innocent time. These days every super hero needs to have a dark side, being a Superhero to satisfy some inner demons. Superman is just the most altruistic of them all.
That kind of innocence I can do without. It is just too fantastical for me. It feels very much like it's 70 years old.

And I like that every superhero needs a dark side. I like humanity in what I'm reading.

Saw The Hoax. Not bad, but too slight. It feels like Lasse Halstrom was pissed off that he didn't make Catch me if you can, so he chose a similar character. Richard Gere is terrific, Alfred Molina is, too...but it didn't leave much of an impact. It was interesting and fun, but the whole Nixon angle was just too preposterous. None of the other actors made an impact (aside from Julie Delphie's revealing neglige). I only noticed a score a few times, and it was all the same main motif...but I loved that motif. Burwell is really good at coming up with these interesting themes. Fun, interesting, but has almost no impact. **1/2/****

Bowfinger. One of my favorite comedies (not many that I love...this one is probably in my top 10). Clever idea, executed to perfection. Eddie Muphy's finest hour, by far. Love David Newman's score. ***1/2/****.

My Best Friend's Wedding. Possibly my favorite rom-com. Fantastic, very smart, script. Excellent performances. Great set piece (the singing scene). Lovely score, good selection of songs, perfect ending. ***1/2/****.

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The charm of the character Superman is that he does seem to belong in a more innocent time. These days every super hero needs to have a dark side, being a Superhero to satisfy some inner demons. Superman is just the most altruistic of them all.

I like the goodnes that is in Superman. It's his biggest weakness.

BTW, Superman too fights his inner demons in Superman III.

EvilSupermanCloseup.jpg

Alex

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