What is the Last Film You Watched? - Part II

[A24 4,351]

Then we agree as far as I'm conerned.

No, not completely. Only basically. You said Star Wars has dated dialogue and hair styles because it's from the 70s. I strongly disagree with that.

BTW, I find the dialogue of Star Wars and TESB to be better than that of the prequels. Much better and much more memorable and quotable. And some of the older "stop motion" effects still impresses me more than the animation effects from the prequels. The Imperial Cruisers at the end of AOTC did not have any effect on me. I felt that their body have no mass. The animation dates the prequels too.

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Alex Cremers

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

That is true. But I can definitely tell the X-Wings are just models in some shots in the final battle. And some of those explosions don't look quite right either. It's still an amazing achievement, especially for that era, but I've been feeling it's slowly coming apart.

Pretty much all of Han Solo's quips are cheesy as hell, but luckily Harrison Ford played the character just charming enough to get away with it.

I didn't mean to slam these elements of the films, though, just praise the score.

And the film is quite an achievement, seeing how some elements worked against it. Luckily the film never pretends to be anything of gargantuan importance, like the prequels do. At this point, Star Wars is still 100% a popcorn ride.

- Marc

[Lurker 5]

I saw Kicking and Screaming tonight. It has every sports film cliché, but it's still a funny, dumb movie. Had some really absurd stuff involving Mike Ditka which I really enjoyed.

Definitely worth a rental.

Neil

[A24 4,351]

And some of those explosions don't look quite right either.

You're right about that!

 

Pretty much all of Han Solo's quips are cheesy as hell, but luckily Harrison Ford played the character just charming enough to get away with it.

Wow, I disagree again! I think Han Solo made the first film take itself less seriously, less stiff, less prequel-ish in atmosphere. Thank god for Solo. Damn, the prequels need a character like Solo!

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Alex Cremers

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

That's what I meant. The lines themselves are still cheesy, though, but Harrison made it work.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Star Wars dialogue gets that attack all the time on the dialogue, still it stands the test of time,

mostly I don't think its cheesy at all, there the prerequisite technobabble, and there is a formal tone in much of the dialogue. Mostly it has characters that are dead on, that people cared about. Its what seperates the OT from the prequels. Audiences loved Luke, Han, and Leia, there is no sense of the audience loving ObiWan, Anakin and Padme, in fact its the opposite, people hate Anakin, yet they love his dark persona Darth Vader, go figure.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Wall Street. Oliver Stone is great when he just wants to tell a story. Like here. Sure, he has a message to it all, but it's not thrown in your face as much as in Natural Born Killers or Born on the Fourth of July. I really enjoyed this movie, which had some great performances too.

[Justin 2]

"What I didn't tell Lucas was that I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo."

-- Sir Alec Guinness on the filming of Star Wars.

Justin

[Luke Skywalker 1,797]

The Imperial Cruisers at the end of AOTC did not have any effect on me. I felt that their body have no mass. The animation dates the prequels too.  

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

Alex Cremers

Regarding that they are Republic Troop transports, i must saw that the camera angle which is used for the Executor in ESB, is awful, making it look horrendous and stiff. Thank god we have ROTJ for proper ones.

[A24 4,351]

"What I didn't tell Lucas was that I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo."

-- Sir Alec Guinness on the filming of Star Wars.

Justin

Alec also thought that Anthony Daniels exaggerated his lines way too much for C3PO.

[Luke Skywalker 1,797]

May he rest in peace, but he was wrong there.

Also Mr. Ford said: George you can write this sh** but sure you can't say it!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. Again, the THX edition.

While this is my favorite of all Star Wars movies, I must say the original had much better paces. I always get bored during the early Tatooine scenes up to the Homestead, but after that it just starts and keeps going until the very end. While ESB is the same length, the movie feels like it's almost an hour longer.

Otherwise, it's brilliant, though.

[scissorhands 16]

Full Metal Yakuza: another Takashi Miike extravaganza, this time made for the video/DVD market if I'm not wrong. I saw this one today in a horror/fantasy film festival of my city.

It contains all the elements of Miike's movies: a typical yakuza story, confronted gangs, sex (even some necrophiliac scenes, once again), the good and the bad, a final confrontation between them and a sci/fi element, this time very similar to Miike's most well-known movie, Ichi the Killer: an antagonist superhero, which is controled by his emotions, his thirst for vengeance this time (Ichi was controled by an old man).

But everything is expounded in a SerieB atmosphere, caused by the budget limits; and the existentialism so evident in Miike's recent filmography isn't still very developed.

May I say this is the weirdest Miike film I've watched (and I haven't seen Izô yet!).

[JoeinAR 1,949]

never heard of him, and wish I hadn't after what you describe.

[Saxbabe 28]

Species II. What utter trash! And no I didn't rent it, it just came on TV following the first one tonight.

The original wasn't any great classic, but I always enjoyed it, especially the characters. Natasha Henstridge as Cil was entrancing there, but this time around there's just nothing decent to work with.

The sequel is so campy it becomes laughable, relying mainly on aliens sprouting out of people spraying blood and guts everywhere. Note: That shock "moment" worked brilliantly in Alien, but that doesn't mean 100 of those moments in one film will make it that much better.

Dialogue is beyond cheesy, characters are one-dimensional. One character (black guy named Gambal) exists solely to advance the plot, he only says stock lines like "WTH is going on?" (and "Why doesn't the alien want to get it on with me?" lol) so the pretty scientist Laura Baker can spout some technical jargon about alien DNA.

Involves a nice cliched storyline of a corrupt politician and his bad relationship with his star astronaut son...and I guess I won't give any spoilers, but let's just say the son has a h*ll of a memory loss problem!

Plot problems all over... (If you were a detective investigating an murderous alien infecting people with its DNA, would you go stick your ungloved hand in a pool of its blood? And why couldn't she regenerate herself at the end? When the alien that blew his head off had no problem with it? Also the "Ghostbusters" spray guns were hilarious.)

The score by Edward Shearmur is okay, though the score for the original by Christopher Young is far, far better (in its originality, and alien-ish beauty). The first half of Elfman's Batman theme showed up intact in the sequel several places, and on the whole, it was passable but too-familiar music.

I can't believe I read they made a Species III. Whoever financed that really likes to waste their money. Hopefully they have learned their lesson.

Greta

[Lurker 5]

Species III was made specifically for video.

Neil

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.

My God, this movie is boring. I never realized until now how incredibly dull this film really is.

This film looks so incredibly flat. Any sense of style is completely gone. Only the space battle (a massive technological achievement) looks visually interesting. The rest looks like a TV-movie shot with an expensive wide-angle lens. Jabba's palace looks like an underlit, redressed leftover of the cantina set from Star Wars, Endor looks like a tiny section of some national park somewhere, and everyone walks around looking exceptionally bored.

So I was watching this and I remember reading somewhere that at some point Paul Verhoeven was one of the choices to direct, but after Lucas saw one of his more violent or sexually laden films he changed his mind. But I was thinking about an R-rated Paul Verhoeven version of RotJ. I know, R-rated wouldn't happen, but still. Now that could be something. The film would definitely be visually much more interesting (especially if he was accompanied by Jan de Bont as his DP). But think about it:

- We'd see Oola getting eaten by the Rancor, in all its gory glory.

- Forget about the bikini. Leia would be nekkid. And gettin' it on.

- "What the..." would be "What the f#$%?!?"

- Instead of just getting her hair untied after being captured by the Ewoks, Leia would be gangraped - again.

- Forget the lame "tapping the old shoulder" trick. That stormtrooper would either have his neck broken or his throat slit.

- That gay dude saying "You rebel scum" would come marching in, kick Han's ass, spit in his face, and call him a motherf#$%er or something.

- The Empire would not take prisoners. They'll execute right away. They're supposed to be evil, remember? Not bumbling morons.

- The Ewoks would be vicious bastards. Once they get into battle, it turns out they have some big-ass fangs, and enough strength to tear a man's arms from their sockets. And we'd see it too.

- Luke being Leia's brother wouldn't resolve the love triangle at all.

So anyway.

I was watching this and thinking about how this film has been changed, and I realized that putting Hayden Christensen into this film is the single biggest fuck-up in the entire history of Star Wars revisionism. And I mean worse than Greedo shooting first.

Think about it.

This unhinges both the film's most interesting dramatic storyline and the entire six-film saga. Luke's main goal in the last half of the film is to redeem his father. In the end, he succeeds. The old Anakin Skywalker turns back to the light side, and is reunited with old friends. This was already a cop-out to the previous films, but that's how it ended. Anakin was redeemed.

Now, Lucas says that Anakin Skywalker basically died when he became Darth Vader. What he doesn't realize is that this means that Vader would be beyond redemption. The good Luke still feels isn't there, and his entire effort is futile.

Also - and here comes a spoiler for RotS, so you'll have to highlight - this undermines Episode III. In Episode III, you'll see that Anakin never ever learned how to become one with the force. If it's like I read in the script in the film - which I'll see in a few days, and if it's not I'll get back to this - then not only is Yoda not the greatest Jedi ever (undermining ESB in a way), but the fact that Anakin is able to join with the Force is completely wrong. It was Qui-Gon Jinn who found a way. While I can't remember right now whether or not he was not able to become one of those Force ghosts, he did managa to remain a conscious entity (somehow) and could communicate Yoda. He taught it to Yoda, and if we are to believe the RotS illustrated screenplay, Obi-Wan learned how to do it while in exile on Tatooine. At the end of RotS, Yoda is apart from Qui-Gon the only one who knew how to do this. So unless Lucas pulls some sort of freak explanation out of his ass (like "yeah, that pyre at the end of RotJ is like, magical, you know"), this addition also conflicts with RotS.

Lucas says the Star Wars saga (in its present form, anyway) is about the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Well, thanks to the 2004 DVD edition, you can now forget about that redemption part.

Dumbass.

- Marc, who, for the record, watched the original version.

[Lurker 5]

Marc, this is why I recommend just watching Star Wars and ignoring the rest.

Neil

[diskobolus 3]

Just watched the recent "The Italian Job." Quite a good movie.

[Morlock 11]

Indeed, I quite enjoyed it. I liked Powel's score.

[Morlock 11]

Nixon. A powerful movie. One can't blame Stone for not swinging for the fence. Far too many rough spots to be a great movie, IMO a lot of stuff doesn't work, but overall, the movie is quite successful at what it aims. It creates a hauting vision of Nixon. I'm gonna be thinking about this one for a while. Nixon, along with LBJ, have always been the most fascinating presidents to me. I feel there was so much wasted potential, and Nixon is just such a tragic figure.

A few specifics:

The screenplay is a bit too winded for me, even for a Stone film. JFK supported it, but this movie just buckled under it, and would have been creppled if not for the fantastic cast doing a great job.

The cinemtography was generaly great, but there were several moments of very strange choices for the look of individual scenes. It particulaly showed during the montages (save for the Mao one, which I thought was terrible in every way, save score).

The editing was very strong in the movie, again, particulaly during the montages.

The establishing shots of the White house were the right way to go, looking in the begining like Dracula's castle, and then increasingly like a prison (I admire Stone's lack of subtlety at times, and the shot of the White house behind bars is one of those times).

I thought James Woods was fantastic. He's so often either misused or barely used, he was great here.

I loved Larry Hagman in this movie. I used to be a huge Dallas fan, and it's just such perfect casting (obvious though it was). He did a great job, he had great dialogue, and his voice is just so powerful and piercing.

The scene at the end, when he prays with Kissinger, is an overpowering scene. I nearly cried. After it I realized what an amazing job Hopkins did. I kept on thinking I would never buy him as Nixon, but you just forget about it after a minute and sink into it.

I hated the meeting with Mao scene. IMO it didn't fit at all. The music, though, is just perfect for it.

The music in general in the movie is sublime. It just hits all the right notes. It knows when to go for the drama, and amp it up, and when to underscore, and with what. The Miami convention montage was fantastic, and the music just such an inspired match for the visuals. I found it breathtaking.

I also love the Whittier music. Especialy at the end of the family dinner scene. And the Whittier theme is beautiful, and just right.

I liked the inclusion of the JFK musical reference a lot, with the percussion from the prologue. I had thought about it's inclusion, and though using a melody from that film in this one would be out of place, but the solution JW found was perfect.

There's much to be said about the content of the film, thoughts about Nixon, but it's too much to get into here. This is an important film, that gives me new insight into this historical figure, probably more so than any other biography I've ever scene. And it shows something about Stone, who went from a film that was solely about his own feelings about a president (JFK) to a film that tries to go inside this man's mind, as well as showing what he pesonaly feels. I think this was a brave act on Stone's part, he seems to have started by trying to play Devil's Advocate, and in the process, reached some amazing revalations about this supposed Devil.

[Justin 2]

An Officer and A Gentlemen. A good movie if a tad "80ish". I really enjoyed all the boot camp scenes. I loved the chemestry between Mayo and the Gunnery Sergeant Foley. At the end when Mayo gets his first salute and later when he see's Sgt. Foley starting the new group of recruits really struck home to me.

The rest of the stuff is basically people talking and blah blah with scattered nudity.

Justin

[QMM 4]

saw Kingdom of Heaven again and enjoyed it

[Lurker 5]

Masochist.

Neil

[TheTennisBallKid 17]

The Adventures Of Robin Hood

I'm now endlessly humming that little riff from when he enters the banquet hall.

ttbk

[JoeinAR 1,949]

saw Kingdom of Heaven again and enjoyed it

I thought you were under 17.

[A24 4,351]

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.

My God, this movie is boring. I never realized until now how incredibly dull this film really is.    

This film looks so incredibly flat. Any sense of style is completely gone. Only the space battle (a massive technological achievement) looks visually interesting. The rest looks like a TV-movie shot with an expensive wide-angle lens. Jabba's palace looks like an underlit, redressed leftover of the cantina set from Star Wars, Endor looks like a tiny section of some national park somewhere, and everyone walks around looking exceptionally bored.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[A24 4,351]

Just watched the recent "The Italian Job." Quite a good movie.

Ouch!

[A24 4,351]

An Officer and A Gentlemen. A good movie if a tad "80ish".  

Love lift us up where we belong.

[A24 4,351]

Barry Lyndon. Kubrick's control over a movie is very intimidating. He's one of the true masters.

[Jeffrey 0]

"The Big Sleep", with Bogart and Bacall. Saw it for the first time, and was amazed.

[QMM 4]

saw Kingdom of Heaven again and enjoyed it

I thought you were under 17.

Turned 17 in January

Masochist.

mas·och·ism n.

1. The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused.

2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from being humiliated or mistreated, either by another or by oneself.

3. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.

Sigh, I enjoyed the goddamn movie, so sue me.

Max

[JoeinAR 1,949]

watch your language

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

watch your language

Gratification is not a rude word, Joe!

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Maybe it is in Texas.

The last movies I saw were David Lynch's Eraserhead and Dogville. I attended a congress about Experimental Cinema, and that was the price to pay. Actually, attendance was the price to pay.

-Ross, who's by now used to wasting hours of his life in a similar fashion.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

True Romance. Nice. I wish Tarantino would've directed it himself, though.

[A24 4,351]

True Romance. Nice. I wish Tarantino would've directed it himself, though.

The Hopper-Walken scene is a classic. The rest of the movie belongs in the garbage.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Yes, that was the best scene in the entire film.

"You're half eggplant."

"Yeah, you're a cantaloup."

[A24 4,351]

... and Dogville.

Amazing achievement. Can't wait for his next movie Manderlay, which is filmed in the same format.

Here's the trailer:

http://www.play.dk/manderlay

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I've heard a surprising amount of good things about Dogville. It always seemed like a pretentious artsy-fartsy movie to me. I'll have to check it out some time after all.

No rush, though.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Lars von Trier is little more than a sadist with a bad pulse. People complain about Spielberg being too sentimental and too mushy, but Trier is the equivalent in torturing his characters. Whenever there's a chance for it, he pushes it to an absurd point.

Yes, I know the chain around Grace's neck is a metaphor. But is it necessary to go that far? It's not like her life was a blessing up to that point. But no, Trier goes an extra mile just to see his beloved characters unjustly treated by his environment.

Scripts like his (with a brilliant first hour and a half) make it seem like he's too high on himself to ever cut a word from a scene. The dialogue was good at parts, but it got to a point where Grace just repeated whatever monologue Tom would recite her, only in her squeaky/scared/whispering voice. I was exhasperated towards the end.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

In my humble opinion, von Trier is a hack, and I always viewed this film as another example of that. I'll try to go in open-minded, but I expect to come out thinking the same. I just hope he surprises me when I get around to watching this film.

[A24 4,351]

A hack? As in no talent?

I think he surprises more than 99% of all directors

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

As in overpretentious, over-using gimmicks and symbolism just for the sake of it.

[A24 4,351]

No bland enough for ya? I understand .

I think the trailer of Manderlay shows more talent than most full movies.

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Alex Cremers

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Meat Bilbo, a brilliant psychological drama.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's a crime that it could not open at Cannes.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Isn't the movie called Cat/Food? Or possibly Bilbo: Cat/Food?

[John Crichton 4]

Meat Bilbo, a gripping story of a man and his cat.

I also finally saw Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 2 this weekend. Great stuff. The Anakin/Obi-Wan story was only so-so but it was great to see them fighting side by side and really seeing their friendship. The start of the Battle of Coruscant and lead in to Episode III was wonderful, from seeing Greivous in action to Mace and Yoda's fighting to the space battle. And there were some surprisingly good occassional humerous moments too. And it showed two great things that there just wasn't time to do in Episode III: Anakin becoming a full Jedi Knight, and explaining 3POs new gold plating.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Isn't the movie called Cat/Food? Or possibly Bilbo: Cat/Food?

The official title is Cat / Food.