Last Movie You Watched? the 8th

RAN (1985, directed by Akira Kurosawa). I know that this is a heretical opinion, but Kurosawa's take on King Lear is a dud. It's a flat and stagey affair, essentially a filmed play. True, it's filmed pretty well in places - there's quite a bit of technical expertise on show (and, at the time, this was allegedly the most expensive production in the history of Japanese filmmaking, although one would hardly guess as much - while RAN doesn't exactly look cheap, a record-breaking budget isn't obvious from what's onscreen [the same goes for QUANTUM OF SOLACE, which at one point supposedly held the title of ninth costliest film ever]).... but it's a filmed play nonetheless, and has almost none of the cinematic atmosphere one might expect of a man commonly cited as one of the greatest film directors of all time. Kurosawa's fondness for long takes and long shots doesn't help matters. The characters do not come to life, which alone is enough to render the whole thing a bore.

"Dispatch war rocket Ajax, to bring back his body."

The actress who uttered those immortal lines died the other day.

The Wild Bunch (1969, Sam Peckinpah)

Good film. It handles its characters and themes well, but most of all I liked the cinematography (and direction). The film looks really good. Especially on Blu.
It seems they took the elements of the brutal Mexican army and the use of the machine gun for revenge at the end from DJANGO.
DJANGO really seems to have been influential. (I'd like to remind people that the machine gun bit and the prevention of a rape and murder in TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA seem to be a reference to DJANGO).

Loomis wrote:

CLERKS. (1994, directed by Kevin Smith). An endearingly quirky little gem of a microbudget comedy-drama (shrewdly filmed in grainy, moody black and white), Smith's debut is somewhat sluggishly paced in places and rather too short on plot even for its relatively trim running time of 92 minutes. However, its shortcomings are more than made up for by plenty of charm and freshness, not to mention many hilarious moments.

"In a row??"

One of my favorite lines in any film.

CLERKS is what I consider a mandatory watch for anyone working in retail. Besides that I think Smith peaked with CHASING AMY and really hasn't come close since. Too bad he lacks ambition.

Anyway, watching THE BROADWAY MELODY. Zzzzzzzzzzz.......

Python wrote:

Anyway, watching THE BROADWAY MELODY. Zzzzzzzzzzz.......

Yeah. It's nothing but a footnote.

I watched SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME last night. The first of two films meant for James Dean that went to Paul Newman after he died. Newman came off as a bit over rehearsed. And thef ilm really just becomes incredibly dull (to me) in the second half. The first hour or so has some funny moment courtesy of screenwriter Ernest Lehman. Nice work by Robert Wise.

Loomis wrote:

RAN (1985, directed by Akira Kurosawa).

My favorite Kurosawa.

Anyway, last thing I watched was

THE LAST OF SHEILA (1973, dir. Herbert Ross)

I didn't know Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins had ever written a film. But they did, and it was THE LAST OF SHEILA. Fun flick, actually.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960, dir. Karel Reisz)

Really fine film about an interesting labourer character. Good writing, especially characterisation and dialogue.

The Hitch-Hiker

I'll say this, I'm becoming a fan of Edmond O'Brien. Otherwise, who knows.

Harmsway wrote:

THE LAST OF SHEILA (1973, dir. Herbert Ross)

I didn't know Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins had ever written a film. But they did, and it was THE LAST OF SHEILA. Fun flick, actually.

I've had an interest in seeing it because of Perkins' involvement.

BODY DOUBLE, in my slowly moving De Palmathon in anticipation of whenever the hell PASSION is released in the US.

Y'all know this movie holds a special place in my heart, though it's not one of my top De Palma films by any means. Maybe just outside my Top 5.

My De Palma tiers would be something like this.

1st: PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, CARRIE, BLOW OUT, CARLITO'S WAY, FEMME FATALE

2nd. DRESSED TO KILL, BODY DOUBLE, RAISING CAIN

At least that's about where I'd have things right now. I'm not gonna rank them, but I like CAIN more than BODY DOUBLE.

All that BS aside, I don't think the movie works quite how it COULD have only because I feel the credibility is lacking. Maybe the plot needed to be tightened or something. I can't believe the events that are happening even within the internal logic of the world within this movie if that makes sense.

Still, I get a big kick of the whole thing.

La nuit américaine (1973, dir. François Truffaut)

Funny film about the personal, technical, and artistic troubles of making a film.

Used Cars (1980)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081698/

Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Romancing The Stone and Back To The Future trilogy and Forrest Gump)

Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale (writers for both 1941 and Back To The Future trilogy)

Produced by Steven Spielberg and John Milius (Co-Producer of 1941 and writer of Apocalyse Now)

What?

What were they thinking except that Spielberg and Zemeckis and Gale and Milius needed a paycheck so they took anything!

2/5

p.s. when this came out in 1980, I was in 10th grade, 15 years old and I was not allowed to go see Rated R movies unless Dad or Mom took me.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Harmsway wrote:

THE LAST OF SHEILA (1973, dir. Herbert Ross)

I didn't know Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins had ever written a film. But they did, and it was THE LAST OF SHEILA. Fun flick, actually.

I've had an interest in seeing it because of Perkins' involvement.

What's really wacky is that Sondheim and Perkins used to do crazy games like the one at the center of THE LAST OF SHEILA.

Anyway, as I said, fun flick.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

BODY DOUBLE, in my slowly moving De Palmathon in anticipation of whenever the hell PASSION is released in the US.

I've heard September-ish, but I don't think anyone knows for sure right now.

Passion with Noomi?

February 13th, pushed back from last year.

The French version was terrible.

I doubt this would be any better: DePalma hasn't made a decent movie in 20 years!

j7wild wrote:

February 13th, pushed back from last year.

Nope, not in the US of A.

Harmsway wrote:

j7wild wrote:

February 13th, pushed back from last year.

Nope, not in the US of A.

What about the UK?

Oh.... according to IMDB, February 13th is Belgium's release date.

They have USA release date listed as December 2013.

When a movie's release date gets pushed back once or twice or several times, it's bad news.

G.I. Joe Retaliation is another movie that I think it's going to really stink because the release date was pushed back by over a year.

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (2010, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul). A dreamlike, hypnotic blend of fly-on-the-wall domestic drama and supernatural fantasy, this Cannes Palme d'Or winner does not tell a story so much as offer a strange and haunting experience - think of Mike Leigh meeting David Lynch and Wong Kar Wai. It shouldn't work but somehow does. A bewildering, beautiful and occasionally brilliant film.

j7wild wrote:

Oh.... according to IMDB, February 13th is Belgium's release date

Perhaps mbalje could shoot down to Belgium, see it, and write a review for us. I'd love to read it.

I watched THE KING OF COMEDY. Creeptastic. In some ways, I think it's my personal favorite Scorsese movie.

The scene with Lewis taped up in Bernhard's house is just sublime to me.

Taken 2 (2012)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1397280/

Do yourselves a favor and don't get taken by this POS!

We started watching it and I left the room not even 20 min into it.

My wife kept watching it to the end and she couldn't stop laughing at it.

This time is Liam and his wife that gets kidnapped and Liam's daughter, who he saved in the first movie, comes to his rescue.

There is no U.S. Embassy in Instabul with U.S. Marines manning 50 calibers machine guns and armored personnel carriers at the entrance of it.

They shoot up the car that Liam Neeson and his daughter are in and used to ram the concrete barricades blocking the entrance of the Embassy.

Then the car comes to the stop inside the Embassy courtyard with both Neeson and his daughter unhurt.

The car is not even surrounded at gunpoint by any U.S. Marines.

Neeson is able to make a call to his C.I.A. friend who will make a call to the Embassy to make sure they are not shot as they exit the car.

Neeson's daughter can't drive good enough to pass the driving test in 2 attempts to get a Driver's License, all of a sudden can drive a stick shift car through the narrow streets of Instanbul with bad guys in other cars, chasing them and shooting at them.

Furthermore, Neeson's daughter is able to set off bombs and grenades smack in the middle of Instanbul and the might of Turkey's Army and Security Forces don't show up at all!

Now there is already talk about a sequel!

Who are they going to kidnap next time?

Since I didn't finish watching it, I can't give it a rating but if push comes to shove and I am asked to rated it, I will give it a ZERO!

The Wooden Horse

a fictionalised account of the escape from Stalag Luft III (the same camp as the Great Escape) of a few British officers having dug a tunnel from under a gym horse. It's not all that bad but seems to drag a little in parts. A fair amount of Bond alumni feature: Anthony Dawson, Peter Burton, Michael Goodliffe and Walter Gotell who feature alongside Peter Finch and David Tomlinson.

Bombardier

about the bomber boys of the USAAF who get thrust into the war after Pearl Harbour. A fairly moderate film plunges into typical propaganda gun-ho action and dialogue in the final scene of the film -from thrilling aerial SFX involving B-17's and Jap planes- down to self-sacrifice of Pat O'Brien and his air crew (including Robert Ryan who valiantly dies upon his bomb sight thus fulfilling a vowel made at Bombardier school).
Poor old Eddie Albert. What a way to go.

j7wild wrote:

When a movie's release date gets pushed back once or twice or several times, it's bad news.

It's no secret that PASSION received a mixed reception on the festival circuit.

De Palma die-hards loved it, though, and the European critics have responded to it quite warmly.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

j7wild wrote:

Oh.... according to IMDB, February 13th is Belgium's release date

Perhaps mbalje could shoot down to Belgium, see it, and write a review for us. I'd love to read it.

Is Oppers still alive?

Had a Batman kinda afternoon with THE DARK KNIGHT and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES back-to-back.

TDK remains a film that is almost impossible for me to sit through. I like the story very much. I like the cast, the production design (though I wish it were more Gothic), the lighting, and all of that. It's just something about the writing and the direction. And the pacing, which is a product of those two things.

But I really like TDKR. It's got it's flaws (though nothing major in my book), but for me the central story of Bruce Wayne coming back from the dead, being put through the ringer, and rising to meet the challenge of Bane basically covers any of that up. And it takes it's time. Scenes get to play out. Did TDK have any scenes that lasted more than 30 seconds?

I want to describe TDK as "flat". That's the best way I can put it. Flat in terms of filmmaking, and dramatically monotone. It's like the exact same mood for 150 minutes. Whereas TDKR lets you take a breather, has moments of humor, and some romantic moments. TDK has this constant sense dread that something is going to happen, even when something IS happening. It's like it's going up on a roller coaster where it's clacking it's way up.... And then you never actually go down.

Does that make sense? Seems TDKR is the only one of these that I'll be visiting with any regularity. Because I really enjoy the hell out it.

And I know I said this in December when talking about this movie, but JGL really turned in a helluva performance in this. Get him starring in movies.