Last Movie you Watched?

Sharky wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

On the whole, I dig Boorman, too, but EXORCIST II is just wretched.

ZARDOZ is wretched, but EXORCIST II is a veritable masterpiece.

You've swallowed too much Armond White. Or Pauline Kael. It just ain't so, Sharky.

The nicest thing you can say about EXORCIST II is that it has some fine cinematography. But that's about all the movie has going for it.

Harmsway wrote:

The nicest thing you can say about EXORCIST II is that it has some fine cinematography. But that's about all the movie has going for it.

And a good Moriricone score, some brilliant set-pieces, and a plastered Dicky Burton

And locusts.

Sharky wrote:

And a good Moriricone score

Don't much care for it, to be honest.

Sharky wrote:

some brilliant set-pieces

Such as?

Sharky wrote:

and a plastered Dicky Burton.

Sometimes a pleasure, but in this case, a liability.

This is your brain.



This is your brain on EXORCIST II.




"Any questions?"

Sanjuro

Another fine samurai film; I haven't tired of them yet (the KUROSAWA ones, to make sure; I am not interested in testing any others).
Interesting to follow Kurosawa exploring the character of Sanjuro, his ethical stances and behaviour in particular. (Note: he doesn't enjoy slaughtering, but is able to if necessary ;) ).
Next week will see the next samurai film.

The Anderson Tapes (1971) and the original Planet of the Apes


the re-watch of Apes immensely enjoyable. Musically as well of course.

Did you know there's a Goldsmith audio commentary on one of the DVDs? He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's worth it. It's great to hear him slam modern action movies and directors, and tell funny anecdotes about working with Frank Shaffner.

Sharky wrote:

Did you know there's a Goldsmith audio commentary on one of the DVDs? He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's worth it. It's great to hear him slam modern action movies and directors, and tell funny anecdotes about working with Frank Shaffner.

No I didn't. Afraid this viewing was off Channel 4. I'll get round to the DVD eventually.

According to IMDB Goldsmith wore a chimp/ape mask when doing the music which is a measure of his coolness somehow.

Sharky wrote:

Did you know there's a Goldsmith audio commentary on one of the DVDs? He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's worth it. It's great to hear him slam modern action movies and directors, and tell funny anecdotes about working with Frank Shaffner.

Doesn't mention Stuart Baird, does he? The three Baird/Goldsmith collaborations are SUPPOSED to be action movies, but in reality they are just more examples of how Goldsmith often had to prop up movies that were flat as a plate of piss.

trevanian wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Did you know there's a Goldsmith audio commentary on one of the DVDs? He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's worth it. It's great to hear him slam modern action movies and directors, and tell funny anecdotes about working with Frank Shaffner.

Doesn't mention Stuart Baird, does he? The three Baird/Goldsmith collaborations are SUPPOSED to be action movies, but in reality they are just more examples of how Goldsmith often had to prop up movies that were flat as a plate of piss.

Aside from Shaffner, he doesn't mention any specific directors. i.e. an anecdote of working with a guy who told him "I don't do subtle."

The longest other Goldsmith collaborator was probably Sean Connery. He wanted to Jerry to score NSNA, but he was booked that year, so it went to Michel Legrand - who was the original composer on ROBIN AND MARIAN, before he got booted by Richard Lester.

Apparently the ponytail Sean had in MEDICINE MAN was a tribute to Jerry.

At one point, Connery was supposed to play Merlin for Boorman, then Thulsa Doom for Milius, I wonder if he could have convinced Milius to go back to Goldsmith (after WIND & LION, I can't imagine why Milius didn't take Goldsmith everywhere with him.) Not to take anything away from Basil, but I imagine JG could have rocked the primitives pretty well.

A Very Private Gentleman (aka The American)
George Clooney gives us his version of Charles Bronson's "The Mechanic"
it's the self loathing side of the James Bond story played out to an inevitable "tragic" conclusion
the slow realisation of a false freedom that has resulted in an empty life, or at least a feeling of being trapped in a lifestyle that has now lost it's appeal
tired of running, tired of lying, tired of being alone even in the company of others (but not really tired of killing?)
Clooney is excellent, the films technique is very good, however the plot is one cliché piled on top of another with nothing new to offer, which is dissapointing
the priest, the supermodel whore with the heart of gold, the endless empty cobbled alleys (so colourfully lit!) the untrustworthy boss etc
Bronson's often misunderstood take on the same underlying character, although not always able to fully realise it's ambition, has far more to offer
(I haven't seen either Dolf Lundgren or Jason Statham's films of the same name to comment on their respective merits)

the book is about a gunmaker but the film turns him into a Bourne-like assassin who also makes guns on the side ("this time you don't even have to pull the trigger")
and the love interest in the book is more like the girl that Clooney kills to cover his tracks at the beginning of the movie (the naive, unspoiled student cliche instead of the good hearted Whore cliche)

Basil's score for CONAN is the greatest movie score ever.

That is all.

Jerry's TOTAL RECALL (with the main theme clearly inspired by The Anvil of Crom) is better.



Gotta love those spacey Korg M1 pads.

John Carpenter's The Thing

5/5

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/

my first viewing of this film on DVD and also my first viewing of this film since I last watched it on VHS back in the 80s!!

this is one classic horror film and after all these years, if it weren't for the IMDB Trivia, I would still be trying to figure out the chain of events on who was who and who got infected when!!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/faq

they are a lot of familiar faces in here: Wilford Brimley, Donald Moffat, Richard Dysard, Charles Hallaran (the Captain in the Hunter tv series), Richard Masur, Keith David

when I saw this in 1982, the only actor I knew in this movie then was Kurt Russell.

I seriously doubt that the Prequel that's coming out tomorrow is as good as this movie!!

and the question still stands after all this time: at the end, are they all humans?

Dream House, 2011, Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naiomi Watts

This is a surprisingly good film, even if it looks like it is dooomed to be a box-office disaster. I checked it out, out of deference to Craig's status as the reigning Bond. Although the movie does seem to be quite wretched in the early going,(Craig, Weisz and family are quite nausetating, in a way too idylllic-family kind of way). One almost wants to walk out. However the early vibe of the film, actually does fit very nicely with the ultimate tone of the movie, as there is a major reveal, about half way through. From that point the plot reflects the new reality and we get a fairly nifty suspense thriller. I can see why a serious actor like Craig took this role. Ultimately, its quite an interesting character that Craig plays, even if the opposite seems true in the early going.
If critics are indeed trashing this film, as I suspect they might be, I can relate, as the movie does have a very tedious build-up, until things finally get interesting and we sit up straight in our chairs, suddenly interested in the on-screen proceedings. The film though is generally kind of flat and it does end a little abruptly, but in the end, I think the story and the decent acting do save it. It's not a great piece of filmmaking though, because while we do have quite an interesting premise, the story doesn't get delivered as well as it could have been.
Once the big reveal is laid on us, we do get engaged in how the film will ultimately be resolved and the cast really step up their game.
Even if he is Bond-buff, Craig looks terrible for most of the film, but his look does fit with the story. Dream House though,never would have got him cast as Bond.
Worth watching. What I'd recommend is pay very close attention to detail prior to the reveal. You might figure out what is coming but probably not, unless you have some advance knowledge as to the subject matter. Certainly the trailers don't give anything away.
Even though I had it written off in the early going, and it is quite bad, I quite enjoyed this film. Too bad the filmmakers couldn't have found a way to spice up the first half hour or so. Even if everything ultimately does fit, dull filmmaking, if only for a short while, is still dull filmmaking.

Sharky wrote:

Gotta love those spacey Korg M1 pads.

The M1 was the beginning of the end for serious electronica. A foul digital workstation that ruined a thousand documentaries.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Gotta love those spacey Korg M1 pads.

The M1 was the beginning of the end for serious electronica. A foul digital workstation that ruined a thousand documentaries.

It had some neat patches though.

D50-lite PoS. I put this position in a review at the time which was pulled before publication. I still maintain that Korg hasn't made a decent synthesiser since the MS20.

Jerry Goldsmith also crafted The Man From Uncle theme. Apes and Uncle. Legend.

The blue max is goldsmith at his most romantic.

God I hate typing on smartphones.

Seve wrote:

, the endless empty cobbled alleys (so colourfully lit!)

I noticed this too. This visual imagery does stick. A good little film. Not your typical Hollywood action fare. Nice change of pace for this genre.

btw Jason Statham's Mechanic is a violence laden, blow-things-up action-fest, but it does at least include some very obvious homages to the original Bronson Mechanic, which I thought was a nice touch.

I like the MS-2000. One of the most neglected synths of the last decade. The Prophecy also gets my regards, being one of The Prodigy's main synths in the Fat of the Land era..







Though my favourite virtual analogue has to be the Roland JP-8000.

The Big Lebowski

Hadn't seen this in years, bought it cheap, and enjoyed it.
I must admit this is a much better film than FEAR/LOATHING. There is a lot more to the story and the characters in TBL. Films rarely make me laugh, but this has several genuinely funny bits. The characters, some so-called losers among them, do have likeable traits; not easy to pull off considering their personalities and the weirdness of the story. Pretty clever storytelling and good dialogue.
I like this the most of all Coen films, along with O BROTHER; the only one of the others I fully enjoy is, I have to admit, NO COUNTRY. I am not sure about the others. Will have to watch them again (haven't seen BLOOD SIMPLE yet).
PS: It's a shame The Dude doesn't always have 1.000 bucks at hand.

I think Lebowski and O Brother are 2 of the most over-rated Coen films ever.

I've been a fan of the Coen Brothers since I first saw Blood Simple when it was released in 1984.

IMO, the best Coen films are #1: Fargo #2 Miller's Crossing #3: No Country For Old Men #4: Raising Arizona #5: Barton Fink