What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[A24 4,346]

It surprises me that it took Alex 25 years to figure out that Star Wars was the better of the two films, hell even someone as challanged as me, knew it the minute I saw the 2nd film.

To tell you the truth, Joe, I don't see them that often. Of course, deep in my heart I knew that the first one was the superior one. I still discover new things which I didn't notice before. For instance, the shot of Luke jumping out of his spinner to run towards the burned bodies of Owen and Beru is breathtakingly beautiful. Freeze frame the moment when he makes the jump and starts to run, Joe. It's pure art!

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Alex Cremers

[JoeinAR 1,949]

finally you and I agree on something.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Star Wars is a wonderful visual experience. As is ESB, but SW has a certain uniqueness about it, even though it's been copied many times.

Is this the frame you were referring to?

I've always found the last shot of that sequence to be very powerful.

(original version or not, that transfer sure looks crappy )

[JoeinAR 1,949]

in someways its the most real part of the movie, as a suit covered individual shot down by a laser bolt has no connection, but a pair of burnt skeleton's who you know to have been people is alot more powerful impact.

[Lurker 5]

The wipe to the Death Star is what makes that scene work for me.

The most powerful cut in the movie (possibly cinema) is the Falcon going to hyperspace immediately followed by the cut to the Death Star. That moment is sheer perfection.

Williams's music may have something to do with those, too.

Neil

[A24 4,346]

Star Wars is a wonderful visual experience. As is ESB, but SW has a certain uniqueness about it, even though it's been copied many times.

Is this the frame you were referring to?

Almost. It's a few frames further. (no, really)

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Would this be too far ahead?

If so, make your own screenshot already.

[Justin 2]

The wipe to the Death Star is what makes that scene work for me.

The most powerful cut in the movie (possibly cinema) is the Falcon going to hyperspace immediately followed by the cut to the Death Star.  That moment is sheer perfection.

Williams's music may have something to do with those, too.

I'll add my own little 'affirmatory' to this declaritive proclamation.

Justin

[TheTennisBallKid 17]

I love that scene.

And the last shot is the same as the one from The Searchers, is it not?

Where Eagles Dare

It was interesting to watch it a second time, and know what was going on. Love the score...

ttbk

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I am re-watching the Godfather Trilogy at the moment. The first blows me away every time. It's a simple story, incredibly well told. The story is linear and epic. The transformation of Michael in this film is enough to put chills up your spine. Godfather part 2 is far more complex and non-linear. Not only because of the obvious switching from Vito's back story to Michael's "present" story, but also within Michaels story there are many interweaving plotlines. By the end of this film Michael has sold his soul. I am about halfway through part three as I type (I had to break earlier to go to work, now I'm about to start again). I've always found this one to be quite weak in comparison to the others. This time, however, I am really enjoying it so far. Sophia Coppola is a horrible actress and she really takes away from the impact of the film. Her character is a vital part of the plot of Godfather 3 as she provides motivation for many of the decisions of the central characters, so it really sucks that she acts so poorly. That aside I'm enjoying this. I know it falls short of the first two quite dramatically but for the first time I'm enjoying it!

[A24 4,346]

I'm not happy about the DVD's picture quality of The Godfather. Also very, very disappointing is Rumble Fish, another Coppola movie. It looks like an old VHS tape. Shame on the publisher who's releasing this garbage.

[nightscape94 965]

I saw "House of Flying Daggers" the other night. I wanted to see it for the longest time leading up to its theatrical release, but was unable to, so I just bought it on DVD. I figured that so many people loved it, and I liked "Hero" which Yimou Zhang also directed, that I couldn't go disastrously wrong in picking it up. I must say, it was an incredibly beautiful film. The ending is fantastic, so if you have the chance to rent it and commit yourself to watching it, please do!

Tim

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I'm not happy about the DVD's picture quality of The Godfather. Also very, very disappointing is Rumble Fish, another Coppola movie. It looks like an old VHS tape. Shame on the publisher who's releasing this garbage.

Have you seen better quality versions of these films? I'm really interested, because watching these films through I just assumed that the slightly "blurry" picture quality was Coppola's intention to give the films a sense of realism and of history. Even the third film is set in the late '70s. The picture quality doesn't really bother me on these films as much as it would on, say, a Star Wars movie. The films are grittier, and dustier, and darker. The picture quality seems to fit. However, if the DVD picture doesn't reflect the original print quality then it really is a shame, and a wasted opportunity. This was one of the most requested DVD releases since DVD began, and The Godfather is still #1 on the IMDB people's chart. Stupid if they ended up rushing the DVD transfer!

[A24 4,346]

I have the seperate DVD release which is older. Perhaps it has a different transfer. I think they didn't use the best of sources for this DVD transfer. It's too soft. Mind you, The Godfather is watchable, but Rumble Fish is a joke (picture quality wise). I didn't want to buy the Trilogy box because of the weaker third chapter.

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Alex Cremers

[A24 4,346]

Would this be too far ahead?

If so, make your own screenshot already.

Say, how does one go about making such frame freeze jpg?

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Use CyberLink PowerDVD and a photo editor of your choice.

[A24 4,346]

Thanks Marc, I don't have that program but I found out that 'Powercinema' has a snapshot function. With 'Paint' I can convert these snapshots in JPG files and ... voila! Problem is ... I forgot how to upload them. I tried "add an attachment" but that doesn't seem to work. :? Am I forgetting something, Marc? Thanks!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

don't use quick reply, got to POST REPLY Alex and you can upload.

[Lurker 5]

Get a Photobucket account.

Neil

[A24 4,346]

don't use quick reply, got to POST REPLY Alex and you can upload.

That's what I'm doing, Joe. I never use the quick reply. :?

Hey, wait a minute, if I hit "submit" I get this message:

Sorry, but the maximum filesize for all Attachments is reached. Please contact the Board Administrator if you have questions.

That's strange, I thought their weren't any limitations.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

You can delete attachments in your user control paner. Click on your username next to one of your posts and then click on.

Or you could use imageshack.us or create a PhotoBucket account.

[A24 4,346]

Great, now let's see. Testing, testing ... Upload ... Upload ...

Guess the movie ...

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Don't know the movie.

You need to adjust that screenshot, though. It's an anamorphic transfer that's been stressed up to 4:3.

It's supposed to look like this:

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Is it I dreamed of Africa with Kim Basinger?

[A24 4,346]

Don't know the movie.

You need to adjust that screenshot, though. It's an anamorphic transfer that's been stressed up to 4:3.

It's supposed to look like this:

How did you do that?!! Each time I make a snapshot the result is 4:3.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I took your snapshot into Paint Shop Pro and simply squashed it down to 16:9. PowerDVD will automatically take 16:9 screenshots from an anamorphic transfer, so you won't have to bother with this anymore.

[A24 4,346]

Is it I dreamed of Africa with Kim Basinger?

Nope, but Africa is indeed a part of this film's title! That's pretty close, Joe! Psst: I think it won an oscar.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Is it Out of Africa?

We should have a guess the screenshot game thread.

[A24 4,346]

Is it Out of Africa?

Nope. It's more recent than that.

Psst: I believe it got an oscar in the foreign language movie department.

We should have a guess the screenshot game thread.

Good idea!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

BTW, if you change your display settings of PowerCinema to 4:3 Letterbox you should get an anamorphic screenshot.

- Marc, who will now create said thread.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Is it Out of Africa?

Nope. It's more recent than that.

Psst: I believe it got an oscar in the foreign language movie department.

That would be Nirgendwo in Afrika then?

P.S.: The screenshot thread's done.

[Lurker 5]

Please do not post attachments! They can potentially screw up threads and not open for members. If you want to post a picture, please set up a free Photobucket account.

Neil

[A24 4,346]

Nirgendwo in Afrika

CORRECT!

English title: Nowhere in Africa.

[Lurker 5]

I saw Kingdumb of Heaven tonight. What an utter waste of time this one was. Dull, dismal, dreary with a totally uncharismatic lead and a story that just seems to go on and on and on and on. Add in a billion phony looking arrows and action that is done in the modern, close up shaky cam quick edit style, which is impossible to watch on a big screen and comprehend and you have a total mess of a movie. This is tanking right now, and ever so briefly my faith in the American viewing public is slightly restored.

Neil

[JoeinAR 1,949]

the screenshots caused this page to take 4 minutes to load.

[Lurker 5]

Sorry Joe, it's the attachment doing that. I'm going to delete it now.

Neil

[A24 4,346]

the screenshots caused this page to take 4 minutes to load.

Really? It only costs me 0.4 seconds to load.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

It wouldn't load on my IE earlier too. On FireFox it was fine, but it was the attachment that screwed it up on IE.

[John Crichton 4]

I went to go see Hitchhiker's again. I laughed a lot.

And the pre-Episode III Star Wars viewing begins tonight.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Is there any stuff from the second book in the movie?

I watched Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (well, that's what it says in the opening crawl, you know) tonight. The THX edition from 1993. Just getting ready for RotS.

I have a new respect for the score, though. The music makes the film many, many times better than it really is, and makes it timeless, instead of stuck in the seventies (notice the hairdo's, the lame dialogue, and the slowly disintegrating VFX).

- Marc

[John Crichton 4]

Is there any stuff from the second book in the movie?

I've only read the first two books once, and that was a while ago so I don't really remember specifically, but I have read somewhere that there are elements from books two and four in the film.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Well then, is the Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the movie? That's from book two (it's only mentioned briefly at the end of the first one).

Marian - who will start re-reading the fifth novel in the increasingly inaccurately named Trilogy of Four tonight.

The Great Escape (Elmer Bernstein)

[Justin 2]

Well then, is the Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the movie? That's from book two (it's only mentioned briefly at the end of the first one).

No. Although it is mentioned briefly at the end of the movie.

Justin

[TheTennisBallKid 17]

The Adventures Of Prince Akhmed

It's a silhouette film from 1926. A very vivid adaptation of "Arabian Nights".

ttbk, Revenge Of The Sith

[A24 4,346]

I have a new respect for the score, though. The music makes the film many, many times better than it really is, and makes it timeless, instead of stuck in the seventies (notice the hairdo's, the lame dialogue, and the slowly disintegrating VFX).

Quite insulting, those words of yours, Marc! So the Seventies are now equal to lame dialogue! That's good to know! I'm glad you're here to tell us these things! Also, this decade, of which you apparently are so proud of, is actually very heavily 70s influenced. Why, a few weeks ago, I went to a schoolplay and when all the children stood on stage, I suddenly noticed that the 70s are very much alive. Heck, I thought I was teleported back in time, or something. To tell you the truth, several kids had that long Skywalker hair style (alright, nobody copies Leia, I give you that). It's the truly so-called modern hair styles that I find really awful. Remember young Anakin's rat face at the end of The Phantom Menace? Yuck!

What else did you say? Ah yes, the FX! Yeah, Mos Eisley now really looks terrible, doesn't it? Lucas tried to modernize it but his actions made it look dated instead. (Yeah, yeah, I know you saw the old unbutchered, but deteriorating version, but what the hey!)

Alex

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I knew someone was going to fall over that.

I found the film had a certain dated look to it. It's still a timeless story and great fun, but some of the designs (not all of it) felt very retro.

And for all the slamming the prequels get for its bad dialogue, I'm surprised nobody's given this film a goed hodown (except maybe Harrison Ford, who threatened Lucas to tie him down and make him read his own dialogue).

Just my opinion of course.

- Marc

[A24 4,346]

Of course, it looks dated. Every movie is a time capsule. Aliens (1987) looks dated too. In an ever changing world, all movies are going to be dated, at one point or another. Soon every movie that's not in the new upcoming 3D format is going to be dated. In the future, we will have three categories:

1. 3D

2. Color

3. B&W

The next logical step after 3D is that the viewer becomes a participant in the movie. Holograpic movies?

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Alex Cremers

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

So I'm correct in saying the film looks dated. It looks dated to me.

[A24 4,346]

So I'm correct in saying the film looks dated. It looks dated to me.

You would be also correct to state that it's a color movie.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Then we agree as far as I'm conerned.