What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[Red 75]

The Last Temptation of Christ is one of the most misunderstood films ever made, I think. I actually felt like I understood Jesus' struggle more after watching it. And I am a devout Christian.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Scorcese made an outstanding film.

And I say that being a complete atheist/humanist/anti-christ.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Agreed.

Me too.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

Yes, as far as I remember.

Marian - who has to see it again.

[Romão 2,274]

Great score too.

[robthehand 3]

I watched Blow Out. I thought I'd seen it before, but I'd only seen the first hour or so. :?

Very good film, with a great ending. John Travolta was very good, as were most of the cast. It took me a while to become interested in the characters (a flaw in a lot of De Palma films - though not nearly to the degree that some critics claim), but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Weird score by Pino Donaggio. My favourite De Palma film is still Carrie.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

"It's a good scream..."

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

Very good De Palma, if still anchored in his 70s weirdness - I think The Fury, with all its "fantastic" ideas, is still very plausible in its character treatment, whereas villains like Lithgow in Blow Out are much harder to accept.

The whole idea of basing a movie on sound effect recordings is brilliant, anyway - and handled very well.

Marian - hoping it doesn't take another 4 years for the next De Palma to come out.

[robthehand 3]

Marian - hoping it doesn't take another 4 years for the next De Palma to come out.

According to the ever-reliable IMDb, his next film comes out in 2008.

- Rob, noticing the Toyer page on IMDb has been removed...

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

Emphasis on "ever-reliable". And nowadays un-navigable, too. Horrid new design.

Shame about Toyer - as far as I remember, it sounded interesting, and also like good De Palma material.

Marian - who actually doesn't remember *what* it would have been about.

[robthehand 3]

Shame about Toyer - as far as I remember, it sounded interesting, and also like good De Palma material.

And it would have had a Donaggio score, according to IMDb. Mind you, they're even less reliable about composer listings - Morricone is still listed for The Untouchables - Capone Rising (perhaps the most stupidly-titled movie ever?), while he's said that he won't be doing it.

Marian - who actually doesn't remember *what* it would have been about.

Toyer is a madman, highly intelligent and masterfully manipulative, he charms his way into the homes of his victims, all beautiful young women and skillfully labotomizes them. With no trace of forced entry at the crime scenes, the police are baffled, and as the number of victims increases, they show no sign of solving the case. Enter Dr. Maude Garance. As the neurologist who cares for Toyer's victims, Dr. Garance is living daily with the horror that Toyer's savagery yields. She must stop him at any cost. As she builds a detailed psychological picture of the culprit she quickly realizes it will take every ounce of strength to expose him. However she may come face to face with him sooner than she thinks...

[Morlock 11]

The Black Dahlia. It has it's moments but somehow I just did not really get this. I never really felt conected with the characters. DePalma is in top form the script just seemed to lack heart. 3 out of 5.

DePalma is in piss-poor form, and the script was awful. Terrible, terrible film. The good stuff it had in it are waaay too few and far between. One of the worst of last year. Isham is the only one who came out unscathed from the mess.

A Scanner Darkly. Great stuff. An intelligent adaptation which doesn't just pluck an idea from the novel and go somewhere diffrent (pretty much any of the other PKD movies.) Performances are great. 4 out of 5.

I just didn't get this at all. I loved how it looked, and I liked a lot of the performances, but I didn't get it.

The Mosquito Coast. An interesting film that deals with some powerful concepts. Harrison Ford is surprisingly good.

I should hope so, he conciders it to be his best perfromance.

The Last Temptation Of Christ. The most thought provoking film I've seen in probably 6 months. For some reason I grew up thinking this movie was about Jesus banging Mary and then dies somewhere in India. While a lot of it's plot takes quite a few liberties from the gospels I think it's strength is that it's the only film version of the gospel where I actually believe that Jesus is a human being. To me, no matter if your are Christian or otherwise this is much more powerful. Jesus actually being human with all of our doubts and fears and yet somehow still managed to go through with crucifixtion just enhances and makes me appreciate the story all the more. I'm willing to forgive it's other flaws just for that. 5 out of 5.

I've been wanting to see it again. Saw it once, it was too much for me to take in.

I watched Blow Out. I thought I'd seen it before, but I'd only seen the first hour or so. :?

Very good film, with a great ending. John Travolta was very good, as were most of the cast. It took me a while to become interested in the characters (a flaw in a lot of De Palma films - though not nearly to the degree that some critics claim), but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Weird score by Pino Donaggio. My favourite De Palma film is still Carrie.

I liked the film a great deal. And I did like Travolta's character from the begining. I liked the score, particularly during the last few minutes of the film.

Very good De Palma, if still anchored in his 70s weirdness - I think The Fury, with all its "fantastic" ideas, is still very plausible in its character treatment

Disagree there. Trashy movie, with most of it's characters being totally unconvincing.

[robthehand 3]

Very good De Palma, if still anchored in his 70s weirdness - I think The Fury, with all its "fantastic" ideas, is still very plausible in its character treatment

Disagree there. Trashy movie, with most of it's characters being totally unconvincing.

But worth seeing if only to see just how well the score works with the visuals. For me this sits alongside Close Encounters as the most effective "marriage" of music and visuals in Williams' career.

[Red 75]

I'd say that De Palma's weirdness reached its' zenith with Phantom of the Paradise.

[Morlock 11]

Very good De Palma, if still anchored in his 70s weirdness - I think The Fury, with all its "fantastic" ideas, is still very plausible in its character treatment

Disagree there. Trashy movie, with most of it's characters being totally unconvincing.

But worth seeing if only to see just how well the score works with the visuals. For me this sits alongside Close Encounters as the most effective "marriage" of music and visuals in Williams' career.

For me, the trashiness of the film distracted me from the score.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Very good De Palma, if still anchored in his 70s weirdness - I think The Fury, with all its "fantastic" ideas, is still very plausible in its character treatment

Disagree there. Trashy movie, with most of it's characters being totally unconvincing.

But worth seeing if only to see just how well the score works with the visuals. For me this sits alongside Close Encounters as the most effective "marriage" of music and visuals in Williams' career.

So many quotes already but if it's about the Fury it is in my book also one of the very best music without the film.

For Gillian could be a great overture for many classical concerts.

[robthehand 3]

It's one of my favourite scores as well.

[Morlock 11]

'For Gillian' is too slight a piece, if you ask me. The Fury is one of my absolute favorite albums, though. The 'Epilogue' is one of the most beautiful JW pieces ever. People talk abuot Goldsmith's expertise at this, but I can't think of a better case of music written that is so radically better than the film.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

One of the very best, ever. And I still don't see the problems so many people have with the movie... it's campy, but for me, it works well, much better than many comparable movies which don't get such a bad rep.

The Draughtsman's Contract (Michael Nyman)

[Morlock 11]

I was totally uninvolved while watching the film, and once they showed Robin it just totally lost me. A terrible bit of casting and acting, sunk any quality Douglas and Cassevetes added to the pic.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

When I first saw it ,as a young , it was an amazing movie.The story felt very interesting , the movie was

very visionary. As an older fart it's little bit dated and the ending felt little comical. But the music's still working...

[Morlock 11]

Saw Half Nelson. Good movie. Ryan Gosling is terrific. As is his co-star (A Miss Epps, IIRC). Nice, touching, not over-done.

[King Mark 3,630]

Babel

Ok,the intersecting plot line movie is getting old fast.I hope this doesn't win best movie because it wasn't anything special.The score was so grating it almost became unbereable.I have no idea what the academy sees in Santaolalla.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

From seeing the movie, it's quite obvious why this got a Best Score nomination. There are multiple sequences where almost all sound in favor of the music. With scenes like that, you're bound to notice the music. I didn't even think it was half bad (despite there being about half a dozen scores I'd name off the top of my head that are more deserving of a nod than this), but I was violently jerked out of the movie when I heard they also used Santaolalla's Iguazu - again (which isn't a bad track either - in fact it's better than the rest of the score, and works for the scene, but I've just heard it too often already).

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Hmmmm...a Santaolalla apologist...

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I still haven't seen or heard Brokeback Mountain, so as much as I enjoy the occasional bash, I still find it somewhat unfair of me if I were to constantly drive that score into the ground.

And also, I don't think we should blame Santaolalla for winning (if indeed it was as undeserving as claimed, although I have little doubt it was). Blame the Academy.

- Marc, who'll be staying up for the AA's tonight anyway, if only to bitch about them as they're announced.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I'll either be sleeping or be unable to sleep and watch Deep Space Nine or Top Gear. In any case, it will be more worthwhile then this years Oscars.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

There's Top Gear on in the middle of the night?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I have every episode on a external harddrive that can be connected to my TV. So...

Yes....

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Ah. Nice.

[futuremartymcfly 0]

First Blood. Good slightly cheesy fun, but a horrible sound editor, things just either sounded too close or too far.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It was the 80's!

[Morlock 11]

From seeing the movie, it's quite obvious why this got a Best Score nomination. There are multiple sequences where almost all sound in favor of the music. With scenes like that, you're bound to notice the music. I didn't even think it was half bad (despite there being about half a dozen scores I'd name off the top of my head that are more deserving of a nod than this), but I was violently jerked out of the movie when I heard they also used Santaolalla's Iguazu - again (which isn't a bad track either - in fact it's better than the rest of the score, and works for the scene, but I've just heard it too often already).

As I said somewhere else- some of the music is very noticable. The two most noticable cues, that come to score major scenes in the (extended) finale, were written more than a decade ago, and one of them was by Riyuchi Sakamoto (the other being Iguazo, as you said, which has already been used in other films).

And BTW Stefan, this may be total nonsense...but perhaps you are not the least bit interested in the oscars this year because you haven't seen any of the films nominated? I've seen most of them, and I am looking forward to at least 3-4 people getting awards they richly deserve. As I've said in the past, I don't concider an oscar to be any sign of achievment, but it sure is nice to see a deserving person get recognized for it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I'm not interested in the Oscars this year because not a single composer I'm in any way interested in is nominated. And I'm not gonna stat awake for the Morricone speech, since I'll catch it on Youtube later.

[Red 75]

The thing that I like about the Oscars this year is that more likely than not, the most deserving will win. 'Course, that cuts down on the suprise factor, but I'd rather not have that if the right people win.

[Morlock 11]

Do you understand Italian? He'll probably just come up, say Thank You, and that's it.

Morlock- who frankly, does not understand how one could be uninterested with Thomas Newman (or to a far lesser extent, Desplat)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

One is a bit boring, the other is French!

[Morlock 11]

So are croissants, but I don't hold that against them.

[Red 75]

Whats wrong with being boring or French?

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

So are croissants, but I don't hold that against them.

Croissants aren't boring!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Indeed!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Week 8:

36. Dogma (1999)

Fun film by Kevin Smith, of which it's almost superfluous to say it should be taken with a grain of salt and just enjoyed. It might be silly, and it might come of as lowbrau on occasion, but it's still highly enjoyable. Alan Rickman was the highlight of the whole thing. Good score by Shore as well, and he expanded upon some of the material in Lord of the Rings (the music for the God scene bears a striking resemblance to the Rivendell theme).

37. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

I actually quite enjoyed this in the theatre last summer. Saw it again this week. Turns out it's a piece of shit.

It severely lacks focus, twisting and turning from one object to the next. It's loud, it's overbearing, and it's not funny. It tries even harder to be something bigger than it really is than its predecessor, and almost because it tries so hard falls flat on its ass. I also thought Zimmer delivered a decent sequel score, but I guess compared to that tripe from the first movie, anything is an improvement. I just found it grating this time. Ugh. I'll probably be dragged to the third one as soon as it comes out. Oh well, best to get it over with (although Geoffrey Rush's presence offers a glimmer of hope for at least some passingly enjoyable scenery chewing scenes).

38. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Excellent thriller. Demme racks up the tension expertly, and Lecter's escape is almost a movie in itself. There's some disturbing scenes in there, though, but they only heighten the effect of the finale. Every time we go to Buffalo Bill's "lair" you want to look away. So once Clarice takes us down there, it becomes almost double scary.

Oh, and Hopkins rocks in this.

39. Gladiator - Extended Edition (2000/2005)

Impressive on a production scale, but I can't say I really cared about the characters involved. Hans Zimmer's score expertly weaves along with the visuals and makes all the right moves and turns. I still could have done without the agressive synth work, though.

The Extended Edition is clearly inferior to the theatrical cut, replacing scenes that were previously released in the deleted scenes section of the old DVD that were rightly cut in the first place. The new scenes mess up the film's pacing and are one by one irrelevant, superfluous, or otherwise unnecessary. And with these new pacing issues, the length of 2 hours 45 minutes this cut has it's just slightly too long for my tastes. If you want to watch this movie, watch the theatrical cut. Good bonus features on the EE DVD, though.

40. Broken Flowers (2005)

Nice film with a great performance by Bill Murray. Jeffrey Wright plays a great character. Good stuff.

41. The Constant Gardener (2005)

I quite liked this film. A great host of British actors crosses the screen. I cheered when Bill Nighy appeared, who is awesome in this (and most everything he does). I like the way they took this story as well. It could have easily been translated into a "ooh, a big evil corporate conspiracy"-type thriller, but it's a dramatic love story as well. Well-crafted, expertly performed. I'd recommend this.

42. Gosford Park (2001)

Another great film. Each character is a rounded one, thanks to the excellent cast and Altman's directing. I also liked the little sequence of twists towards the end. Very nice.

For some absurd reason, though, the Dutch DVD is an open matte 1.78:1 transfer off the Super35 film, giving the film a blander look than it probably had if the original image composition had been retained (I don't care that it's better than having the sides chopped off, it was composed for 2.35:1, so matte it properly next time, please).

43. Babel (2006)

I saw this film Saturday night, before the Oscars, but I don't really feel like commenting on its only utterly rediculous win again, so here's just my thoughts from Saturday night remembered:

Well put-together film. I liked how it jumped around in time. I always like seeing Brad Pitt taking on roles that don't use his star status (which goes for any Hollywood star, btw). Unfortunately, I didn't really cared that much for the characters involved. I saw the events unfold before my eyes, but wasn't really drawn in the way I like a movie to do. Score did its job, but so does any half-decent effort. It was probably just nominated because of the many sequences where almost all sound effects are dropped in favor of the music. I didn't like the simple guitar tune. When it suddenly turned interesting, it turned out to be a piece Santaolalla composed a decade ago. For shame.

44. La Science des rêves (The Science of Sleep) (2006)

Wonderful, wonderful film. Michel Gondry is awesome. Who needs multi-million dollar CGI when you've got toiletpaper rolls and cellophane? Go see this film.

45. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

An okay film, but not much special. The visuals - especially on Eris - are very creative, though, but the CG animation is poorly integrated. For the most part, however, it's a rather forgettable film. Didn't care much for the voice work or the story. You can skip this one for my part. Get the soundtrack, that's all you'll need - because it's awesome, but low-mixed in the film.

46. Paradise Now (2005)

I must admit, I'm not all that informed into politics or the Israel conflict (or the combination of both). A film like this inevitably brings some of that with it. Still, I felt like the filmmakers didn't try to impose either viewpoint upon the audience. The final scene was quite powerful. Good film, but not one I would watch again.

47. The Black Cauldron (1985)

A very un-Disney Disney feature. It's pretty dark and scary, but I felt the Evil Villain and the Young Hero met a little too soon in the story, and for all this gloom and doom being talked about that might befall All the Lands, there was very little shown of the people actually in, well, All the Lands, making the threat sound rather generic. I wonder if Andy Serkis based Gollum off John Byner's performance as Gurgi. Cool score by Elmer Bernstein - is there a release of this?.

Reading about how this film was censored all over the place before its release, I'd actually be quite interested in a nice 2-disc release of this film showcasing the deleted elements - not to mention an anamorphic transfer, which currently for some reason is only available on the French release.

[Morlock 11]

post in progress

[QMM 4]

44. La Science des rêves (The Science of Sleep) (2006)

Wonderful, wonderful film. Michel Gondry is awesome. Who needs multi-million dollar CGI when you've got toiletpaper rolls and cellophane? Go see this film.

I dont know if it was because it depressed the hell out of me or because I had to write an essay on it but I didn't like SoS that much. Didn't have a problem with the ending though (apparently a lot of people do).

I just finished watching Alien and Aliens for the first time and I was not let down. Some great bits in the first one but Aliens really raised the bar on everything and even after reading how Winston did the Queen effects in his book, I still have a hard time believing some of those shots weren't CGI.

And now I'm about halfway through Black Dahlia. Even after all you guys said it was terrible I still wanted to see it but jesus. What the hell happened with the first quarter of the movie (or the whole thing I'll say if I finish it). Only things I'm interested in now is looking at the pretty good cinematography and Isham's score.

[fommes 153]

Week 8:

Where the hell do you get the time for this

Although I must admit, although I haven't the time, I obliged myself to watch one movie a day in january, so as to go through all the DVDs I have but hadn't watched yet. Took me more than a month

For some absurd reason, though, the Dutch DVD is an open matte 1.78:1 transfer off the Super35 film, giving the film a blander look than it probably had if the original image composition had been retained (I don't care that it's better than having the sides chopped off, it was composed for 2.35:1, so matte it properly next time, please).

Which DVD version of Gosford Park is that?

I've got the Quality Film Collection one. I thought that was in 2.35:1. Could be wrong though.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Week 8:

Where the hell do you get the time for this

Although I must admit, although I haven't the time, I obliged myself to watch one movie a day in january, so as to go through all the DVDs I have but hadn't watched yet. Took me more than a month

Well, it does sometimes take some rearranging... But 12 movies in one week is not something that happens every week, you know.

For some absurd reason, though, the Dutch DVD is an open matte 1.78:1 transfer off the Super35 film, giving the film a blander look than it probably had if the original image composition had been retained (I don't care that it's better than having the sides chopped off, it was composed for 2.35:1, so matte it properly next time, please).

Which DVD version of Gosford Park is that?

I've got the Quality Film Collection one. I thought that was in 2.35:1. Could be wrong though.

I have the single disc that was in the Volkskrant's second Filmfestival box last year. But it's also by A-Film, and it should have the same transfer. The R1 is the right aspect ratio, as is the R3, and the German and Scandinavian R2 releases.

[robthehand 3]

I have the single disc that was in the Volkskrant's second Filmfestival box last year. But it's also by A-Film, and it should have the same transfer. The R1 is the right aspect ratio, as is the R3, and the German and Scandinavian R2 releases.

Hmm, someone clearly hates Dutch movie-watchers. Did Nigel Powers produce this DVD?

Anyway, I watched two good movies:

The Ipcress File with Michael Caine, the first and best of the Harry Palmer films. Great John Barry score, interesting plot, good acting, and a memorable ending. Not one of the best films ever made, but thoroughly satisfying.

All About Eve, the first time I'd ever seen it. Very good film, with stunning performances. A very complex and intriguing character piece, that pulls off the difficult task of making all the characters extremely engaging, while none are particularly likeable. In a way it reminded me of another 1950 film - Sunset Boulevard. I'll have to watch this again some time soon.

[fommes 153]

The Ipcress File with Michael Caine, the first and best of the Harry Palmer films. Great John Barry score, interesting plot, good acting, and a memorable ending. Not one of the best films ever made, but thoroughly satisfying.

I've always wanted to pick up the CD after hearing the main theme somewhere. Is the CD good? I also hope I'll catch the movie on TV some day.

[robthehand 3]

I've always wanted to pick up the CD after hearing the main theme somewhere. Is the CD good? I also hope I'll catch the movie on TV some day.

Not one of my favourite albums, though it's good. The Silva Screen release has brief dialogue excerpts between every track (!), but they're easy to program out.

[publicist 4,643]

The Ipcress File with Michael Caine, the first and best of the Harry Palmer films. Great John Barry score, interesting plot, good acting, and a memorable ending. Not one of the best films ever made, but thoroughly satisfying.

I liked the other two better. 'Funeral in Berlin' for the obvious reason that it's located in my hometown, 'Billion Dollar Brain' simply has the best Bond villain Bond never had.

The cowboy-dressed henchmen in the computer lab are just priceless...