What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[Morlock 11]

There is only one character in this film. The rest are charicatures.

The main character was the biggest caricature of them all. Humans often are caricatures. The obvious caricatures are part of the pardody feel.

No, they're part of the insufficient writing. The characters are not bad in and of themselves (I loved the British guy from Igby Goes Down), only in context. And, in context, Giamatti is as real a character as it gets. If you're saying that everyone else is a real human depiction, that is certainly something to that, but that's part of a different discussion of whether a stereotype means something is not true (as sterotypes often are real). This film is more full of sterotypes, but these stories would be. I didn't like them, because they were in the context of this dumb film.

[A24 4,347]

No, they're part of the insufficient writing. The characters are not bad in and of themselves (I loved the British guy from Igby Goes Down), only in context. And, in context, Giamatti is as real a character as it gets. If you're saying that everyone else is a real human depiction, that is certainly something to that, but that's part of a different discussion of whether a stereotype means something is not true (as sterotypes often are real). This film is more full of sterotypes, but these stories would be. I didn't like them, because they were in the context of this dumb film.

They are stereotypes but also caricatures. Film and especially Hollywood film always enlarges or exaggerates characters. Here they were even more enlarged.

Alex

[Morlock 11]

Yes, but we disagree on if that's due to an intentional desire to parody, or just bad writing.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Carlito's Way: Wow! I never considered this to be among De Palma's best, but that might change now. Unlike some of De Palma's weaker films, the characters here are all very well developed. The action set pieces are (not surprisingly for a De Palma film) perfectly executed,

Although I'm obviously a big De Palma fan, Carlito's Way is the one (or one of the very few) De Palma films I call flawless. One of the best movies I've seen. And Pacino is outstanding.

with the railway station scene particularly impressive.

I love how Doyle plays along with it so well. All those frequent moments where "time" is referenced (e.g. a pan to a clock) are scored with that little time motif. And the camera work... it's once again "another railway station", but what a sequence it is!

[Morlock 11]

Again, I think it's a far better sequence than the first DePalma Train station sequence. It's probably more than one thing, but mainly, I really cared about Carlito, and one is not really sure of his this thing is gonna end. No sense of 'Good guy's gonna kill the bad guys, that's for sure'. And then, in classic DePalma fashion, he throws in the last part of the sequence.....

And I just love Doyle's cue. On the album it's terrific, but it is bloody brilliant in the film. Building tension, a 10 minute cue made up, basically, of three motifs playing around each other. I wish DePalma would have stuck with Doyle. I think they're styles are very well suited to one another. Not a big fan of Sakamoto's work with him (I'm thrilled he hired Isham for the Dahlia. Terrific score. Only good thing to come out of the film).

[A24 4,347]

Aliens: Theatrical Cut

At the time, Aliens was a terrific action movie but this film just doesn't hold up as good as it did 20 years ago. When Paul Reiser walked into Ripley's room, I laughed so hard that I was afraid the whole street could hear me. Is Aliens an parody on the 80s? There's also some truly bad fx shots in this movie. I know, spaceships flying over land or in the atmospheres or clouds never were fully convincing but the small spaceship that takes the marines to the alien planet made me think that I was watching the Thunderbirds. What bothered me the most is how unattractive this movie is shot. The whole look is simply uninteresting, especially compared to the amazing "look" of the first Alien movie. The visuals of Scott's Alien are so endlessly more suggestive that they simply manage to evoke more intriguing thoughts from the brain.

Alex

[Morlock 11]

Oh boy. Good that Justin isn't around to hear that.

Morlock- who has not seen Aliens and has no opinion on the matter

[A24 4,347]

I know what your opinion will be. You'll choose Aliens hands down.

[Morlock 11]

I don't think I will, which is why I have not seen it yet. While I may not love Alien (yet), it certainly is a fascinating film.

I'm sorry Alex, for not being the Morlock you'd like me to be. It would make your life so much easier, I know.

[A24 4,347]

First see it, then be the Morlock I always knew you were. There are hundred thousands of Aliens fans who don't like Alien or Blade Runner. They don't read the subliminal text in Scott's masterful sci-fi. They can only understand film at its most straightforward.

Alex

[Red 75]

So it's you > these people?

[fommes 153]

Not a big fan of Sakamoto's work with him (I'm thrilled he hired Isham for the Dahlia. Terrific score. Only good thing to come out of the film).

Like Spielberg kind of does-mostly- with actors (the composers argument would speak for itself on this board), DePalma always seems to bring out the best in a composer, in my opinion. I think very highly of Elfman's Mission Impossible, Morricone's The Untouchables; I also like Sakamoto's and Isham's scores. Herrmann's scores to his early films were also outstanding.

The one time that I didn't like it was Blow Out. I found Donaggio's score very intrusive and very bad (I don't mind intrusive, only when it's bad). It didn't suit the film I think. Anyway.

They don't read the subliminal text in Scott's masterful sci-fi. They can only understand film at its most straightforward.

There's a nice book on film from a philosophical point of view, it's called "On Film" (what did you guess). It discusses the four Alien films. It's short and very readable. Although the philosophical approach was a bit too one-sided for my tastes, it brought out some other perspectives I hadn't thought about; in that way, it's kind of refreshing. For when you don't know what you could read.

[A24 4,347]

Not a big fan of Sakamoto's work with him (I'm thrilled he hired Isham for the Dahlia. Terrific score. Only good thing to come out of the film).

I also like Sakamoto's and Isham's scores.

What score did de Palma with Sakamoto?

There's a nice book on film from a philosophical point of view, it's called "On Film" (what did you guess). It discusses the four Alien films. It's short and very readable. Although the philosophical approach was a bit too one-sided for my tastes, it brought out some other perspectives I hadn't thought about; in that way, it's kind of refreshing. For when you don't know what you could read.

Talking of books, a friend just gave me a book with bundled essays about Blade Runner.

See review

Alex

[robthehand 3]

What score did de Palma with Sakamoto?

Snake Eyes and Femme Fatale.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Watched these for the first time

Fantasia - I didn't actually like it much. While The Sorceror's Apprentice section still holds up as good as ever, I feel most of the movie has dated quite a bit, and drags in many places in its massive two hour length. Night on the Bald Mountain/Ave Maria was pretty good too, and the dinos in The Rite of Spring was entertaining enough. I didnt like Dance of the Hours' dancing animals and pretty much despised the kitschy Greek mythology figures in Pastoral. And the Deems Taylor narration bits...ugh!! Ultimate cringeworthiness!

Fantasia 2000 - After watching Fantasia, I didnt expect to enjoy this much, but enjoy it I did! The abstract-ish opening number didnt leave me as cold as its predecessor's. The Gershwin number set to New York was brilliant, so was the Steadfast Tin Soldier segment. The Yo-yo-ing Flamingo in Carnival of the Animals was sweet and short and the final segment, The Firebird Suite feels like a superior companion piece to The Rite of Spring and simply left me breathless. The introduction to the pieces are well done, definitely much better than the spell-it-out-to-the-viewer approach of the original. And at half the length of the original, it doesnt overstay its welcome too.

In the end, I found Fantasia to be hardly more than a curiosity but I love Fantasia 2000 immensely.

Burga - who wonders how Disney got away with the topless centaurettes

[A24 4,347]

Snake Eyes and Femme Fatale.

Are they orchestral? I can't imagine them being on the par with his work for The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky or even Little Buddha. Too bad Bernardo Bertolucci doesn't work with Sakamoto anymore. The Italian director really knew how to get the best out of Ryuichi (IMO, of course).

Hmmmm, Snake Eyes, I believe I once rented it but that I switch it off after 30 minutes. De Palma is really not my cup of tea. The only thing I find interesting about him are his slo-mo scenes and even these are rather gimmicky.

Alex

[fommes 153]

The first thirty minutes are the best though. After the opening 'shot' the film goes downhill, although surprisingly it does get a bit better after the second viewing. I also like how most of the flashbacks are filmed without much cutting; the idea of real-time before the assassination attempt in other words. By the way, I was thinking of Sakamoto's Snake Eyes in particular, although it's not better than the Last Emperor of course. (It's orchestral yes.)

The Blade Runner book looks very interesting, although I sometimes have problems with academic books tied to a single film or series. By the way, let me know if there's an essay in it which deals specifically with the novelisations.

[AI 0]

Memphis Belle. I wasn't expecting great things from this, I rented it out of curiosity, since its case has been glaring at me for the last dozen visits to the video place, and I had a basic feeling that it was a good film.

It was in fact, an excellent film. I recommend it highly, if you like war films, this is as good as Saving Private Ryan, in it's own way, and George Fentons score is very nice indeed.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

I think Sakamoto's De Palma scores serve their respective movies very well. Not sure I'd need them on CD (I don't have them, in any case), but as far as "film music" goes, they're very good.

...which is one of the good things about De Palma scores, actually. They're always very good in their films. Many of them are great on CD, too.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer, not a great movie, perhaps barely a good movie, but you know its a damned fun movie, sillyness and all, but what the hell is up with dance numbers in marvel comic films this summer?

[Red 75]

How does it stand up to the first one (which I didn't like).

[John Crichton 4]

I finally got around to going to see At World's End last weekend. It's like there was something in the back of my mind holding me back from going to see it, and now I think I know why. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it near as much as the first two, which I'm a huge fan of. A clear case of just trying to do too much. There were quite a few good induvidual moments, and the last third got much better. The score, however, was an improvement. There were times that I would even call it adequate. I went back and watched the first two after (and still loved them), so with them all fresh in my mind I would rank them:

Dead Men's Chest

Curse of the Black Pearl

At World's End

And I have to say a few words about a possible sequel. Normally, I would be dead against any talk of even considering bringing the franchise back, but in this case they have created a perfect setup for a fourth movie. We have Jack, and we have Barbossa. No Turners, no Swans, no commodores or East India Trading Cos. Just Barbossa and Jack (and a few of the surving Pearl crew) and the race for the Fountain of Youth. This is an opportunity for a much tighter, clearer movie centered totally on the two best and (possibly save Davy Jones) most interesting characters in the series. Go for it.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

much, much better than the first.

[A24 4,347]

That's not so hard to do.

Open Season. I watched it at a friend of mine who bought a new 50" plasma screen and Blu-Ray player (both by Samsung). It's the first time I see a film on Blu-Ray disc and the image quality is stunning. Even standard DVDs look great on his set. The animation film itself was sadly a umpteenth retelling of the familiar story where the main character gets separated from home followed by the journey, full of adventures, and the homecoming. Are all animations based on Pinocchio or something? Pretty unoriginal and annoying stuff.

Alex

[JoeinAR 1,949]

perhaps not Alex, but the fact that they did, says the filmmakers learned something positive

[Eric_JWFAN 11]

Today I saw an advance screening of Evan Almighty. With very low expectations, I was pleasantly suprised. This was a very entertaining movie and it had one of the better finales I've seen in a few years. And don't laugh, but Steve Carell had an Oscar-worthy performance. He was that good.

Oh yeah, a solid score by John Debney.

[Red 75]

Carell is one of my favorite comedians right now. The guy is just histerical.

[robthehand 3]

I just watched Minority Reoprt. Good film, despite the gaping plot holes, very well made. Max von Sydow is always fun to watch.

About the ending: I'd change very little. After Lamar's death, keep the shots of the deserted Precrime place, just lose the narration, and the shots of John and Lara, and the pre-cogs.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

gaping plot holes, there are no gaping plot holes in MR

[A24 4,347]

I just watched Minority Reoprt. Good film, despite the gaping plot holes, very well made. Max von Sydow is always fun to watch.

About the ending: I'd change very little. After Lamar's death, keep the shots of the deserted Precrime place, just lose the narration, and the shots of John and Lara, and the pre-cogs.

My problem with MR (and also WOTW) is that it's nothing more than a mere actualization of a script. Could it be that Spielberg's newfound efficiency (he "shoots" extremely fast these days) is making his films one-dimensional and sterile? Perhaps the whole production is too calculated.

Lack of experimenting can lead to fewer coincidental processes that may produce an unexpected and unexplanable aroma. I find that his latest output to be less resistant to multiple viewing.

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Raiders Of The Lost Ark was also a very fast shot film....

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

i always had the impression he works fast...

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I'm thinking he may knock them out a bit too fast these days, though. War of the Worlds felt like a hastily-made film (despite its production value and effects work).

[crocodile 8,020]

Zodiac. I liked it quite a bit. Very entertaining and even fun, given the subject matter. But then again it wasn't so much about Zodiac himself as a nostalgic look at 70s and the overall histeria around the killings. Proably too long, but it didn't bother me as much as it usually does. Some strong performances and a very nice score. Recommended!

Karol

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Week 24:

103. The Frighteners (1996)

I always enjoy this film. It's a bit unbalanced, and as a viewer it takes a while for you to understand what this movie is going to be about. But it's just too much fun for me to not enjoy it. Particularly Jeffrey Combs is a ton of fun to watch, and the ghost effects still hold up wonderfully well today (although there are a few other effects in there that don't look particularly good). Fun movie.

104. The Blues Brothers (1980)

Probably my favorite musical film. Granted, I haven't seen many, but this one is just so good, and funny too. The sheer scale of the thing is one of the best jokes in the movie. I always crack up hearing those SWAT guys go "hut hut hut hut" without interruption while they do whatever the hell it is they're doing. I think I'll go for the extended cut next time. The theatrical version has a nice tight running time, but if you like the music (which I do), you might want to see the longer version, where pretty much every musical number has been extended, and several other scenes put back in as well. Good times watching this.

105. Goodfellas (1990)

I think this was the third time I've seen it now, but it's been a while. Looks like one of those films that gets better every time, and it made me want to see more of Scorsese. Excellent, excellent film!

106. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Good film. A decent performance by James McAvoy, but the movie belongs entirely to Forest Whitaker, who blows everyone from the screen, even when he's not on it. His performance is one of the best I've seen (although I couldn't help notice he was helped along by some accentuated camerawork whenever he was on screen), and he alone is worth watching the movie for. Go Forest!

107. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Watched this again, just because of how great it is. Turns out, it's still awesome. Screw you, all you Indiana Jones imitators, there is only one ultimate adventure movie, and it's this one. Ah, good times this week.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Firewall

Not bad, but annoyingly mediocre and predictable. Any scene driving looks hilariously fake.

Virginia Madsen is sooooo hot in this film!

[Ollie 1,059]

Time Warner added Universal Hi-Def to our channel lineup.

Jaws was playing, sadly it was the new sound mix, but the picture looked outstanding in hi-def and it's still a great movie.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

is the new mix that bad?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I don't really mind it much, and I'm just about the biggest Jaws fan in the world.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

the Descent, a very intense, very well done film, liked both endings, but felt the British ending to be the best for this film

[Ollie 1,059]

is the new mix that bad?

Yes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's different, that's all.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

the Descent, a very intense, very well done film, liked both endings, but felt the British ending to be the best for this film

And with an extremely serviceable score, too. I don't dare watch this one alone.

[Morlock 11]

Apocalypto again. I can understand why people do not like this film. It is very understandable. But it just hit me the right way (no pun intended). I love Gibson's directing. It really has a 'take no prisoners' feel to it, but not in an abrasive fashion. You feel the passion in the making of the film (again, no pun intended). He's got a great filmic vision, and one that harkens back in spirit to the earnestness of the classic epics (even though, I think his movies are generally better than the classic epics).

This is an action film. Gibson doesn't even attempt to call it something else, he even refers to the final extended chase as basically a car chase. But the artistry that went into it- the beautiful locations, the great cinematography (best use of HD I've seen yet. They really use the format to great extent with the lighting), the utterly convincing sets, the beautiful colors (the reds and blues and greens in the make up and costumes are great), and the convincing performances make this film, minimal story wuth a cliched action film's plot line, far more than that. It just looks so great, both in the look, and in the great shots and angles.

The sequence in the temple is a great set-piece, although it's a bit disconnected in it's morality (the decadence of the society and it's leaders). It looks and feesl great. Love the high priest, with his spot-on Mussolini imitation.

Whether or not you like the film comes down to whether or not you like the final chase sequnce. One of the longest and most effective chase scenes ever, it keeps the energy going the entire time. The motivation of the wife and child in the well is corny in theory...but it is worked out to be dramatic enough (when it started raining, I really started caring for them). And I love the ending, the kind of comic yet very mythic way to end the chase.

The cast is very effective. I liked the main guy, liked his father, liked his friends. Thought the main villain was fantastic, he certainly looks like on of the most imposing villains ever. And at the end, when he starts the sprint the begins the big chase sequence, it is terrificaly dramatic.

My biggest complaint against the film is the half-interested way in which it presents the philosophical ideas (i.e. the chase of the hero echoing the hunt of the creature in the begining).

Still, I think it is a thrilling and engaging adventure, that is also a feast for the eyes. And while i have no idea if it is authentic, it certainly felt authentic.

***1/2/****.

[Red 75]

I didn't know people didn't like Apocalypto. Although, if anyone did, then the blame would probably fall on Gibson and his "antics".

[Morlock 11]

Well, I've read a few reviews that say it is all Gibson's violence fetish.

[Red 75]

There's that, too. Either way, a film shouldn't be judged on the behavior of any involved, but rather based on its' own merits as a film.

[King Mark 3,631]

Stepmom is on TV right now.I have never seen it.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Apocalypto again. I can understand why people do not like this film. It is very understandable. But it just hit me the right way (no pun intended). I love Gibson's directing. It really has a 'take no prisoners' feel to it, but not in an abrasive fashion. You feel the passion in the making of the film (again, no pun intended). He's got a great filmic vision, and one that harkens back in spirit to the earnestness of the classic epics (even though, I think his movies are generally better than the classic epics).

This is an action film. Gibson doesn't even attempt to call it something else, he even refers to the final extended chase as basically a car chase. But the artistry that went into it- the beautiful locations, the great cinematography (best use of HD I've seen yet. They really use the format to great extent with the lighting), the utterly convincing sets, the beautiful colors (the reds and blues and greens in the make up and costumes are great), and the convincing performances make this film, minimal story wuth a cliched action film's plot line, far more than that. It just looks so great, both in the look, and in the great shots and angles.

The sequence in the temple is a great set-piece, although it's a bit disconnected in it's morality (the decadence of the society and it's leaders). It looks and feesl great. Love the high priest, with his spot-on Mussolini imitation.

Whether or not you like the film comes down to whether or not you like the final chase sequnce. One of the longest and most effective chase scenes ever, it keeps the energy going the entire time. The motivation of the wife and child in the well is corny in theory...but it is worked out to be dramatic enough (when it started raining, I really started caring for them). And I love the ending, the kind of comic yet very mythic way to end the chase.

The cast is very effective. I liked the main guy, liked his father, liked his friends. Thought the main villain was fantastic, he certainly looks like on of the most imposing villains ever. And at the end, when he starts the sprint the begins the big chase sequence, it is terrificaly dramatic.

My biggest complaint against the film is the half-interested way in which it presents the philosophical ideas (i.e. the chase of the hero echoing the hunt of the creature in the begining).

Still, I think it is a thrilling and engaging adventure, that is also a feast for the eyes. And while i have no idea if it is authentic, it certainly felt authentic.

***1/2/****.

Couldnt' have said it better

[Morlock 11]

I would advise you to stop while you still can. It is not a very good movie.