Last Movie You Watched? Mark 9

Man of Steel (2013)

The idea of making it more about an alien among us, and our subsequent reaction is a good one...but after a slow build over two acts really gets left by the wayside for a rather mind numbing and ott final act - one of the big issues with our modern F/X prowess (and doesn't just apply here but to most modern blockbusters imo) is the edict 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should' is too readily forgotten....nice to see Fishburn get something heroic to do again though. 6/10

Makeshift Python wrote:

The Black Hole (1979)

For a post-Star Wars film, it feels more in line with sci-fi productions of the 1950s but not in an endearing way. So many strange choices are made, like the unnecessary use of bluescreen composites that really cheapen the look of the film when they could have easily just put a curtain of stars behind those windows. It's always a joy listen to a John Barry score I've never listened to, but it feels out of place with this film, as if he wasn't sure what to do with what was happening on screen aside from the sequence in Hell that allows him to flourish. I want to remind myself "this film is over 30 years old, of course it's dated", but this came out the same year as ALIEN.

Later I'm gonna catch another supposed 70s sci-fi turkey that John Barry scored: STARCRASH.

Remember watching it a lot as a kid, mainly through my Dad and his John Barry fandom. The scene in the hole with Schell -that Hellish vista- used to scare me back in the day.

I heard it was being remade. Can't imagine it'd be any worse.

It's amazing how many stinkers were scored by the great composers like Barry and Goldsmith.

Raise the Titanic, The Swarm bubble to mind.



The aforementioned Star Crash I believe is so painful to Christopher Plummer it's merely "Some dreadful sci-fi movie I did".

Starcrash (1978)

This film is bad, but DELIGHTFULLY bad. I had so much more fun watching this than THE BLACK HOLE, John Barry's did a much better space opera score than he did with that film (did he get blackmailed into this film?). It's not an exaggeration when I say it rips off STAR WARS. Lightsabers, the film starting with a ship flying overhead, the protagonist having force like powers, ect. I can understand why Caroline Munro is in this production (her tits), but I'm truly amazed Christopher Plummer somehow got talked into this. Every line he delivers you can see a hint of irritation in his face.

My favorite moment: https://youtu.be/8hqcGK72XYQ?t=1h16m10s

Must check it out sometime if for shits and giggles. As you say Python it's a surprise Plummer was in it. Would love to know the story behind it. Can't imagine Starcrash paid for a room extention never mind a house.

Finally saw Jack Reacher. For some reason I'm finding Tom Cruise less annoying these days. Either he's improving or I'm getting more reasonable in my old age.

Rosemary Pike is terrible in this. I think she's a pretty incompetent film actor full stop. Her American accent is appalling even by British standards and she looks like a mumsy man in drag to me. Something about the jawline I think. My worst nightmare.

The film? Almost forgot about it. Starts well with a sniper terrorising a city park, but soon turns into the usual bollocks. Is the book any better? Never read any Reacher.

Never read any Reacher myself. Many fans of the novels objected to the casting of Cruise in the role, since the character is supposed to be a tall and physically imposing man.

I'd agree that the movie was fairly forgettable, not counting a handful of scenes.

Salomé wrote:

Many fans of the novels objected to the casting of Cruise in the role, since the character is supposed to be a tall and physically imposing man.

Substitute Craig for Cruise in that sentence and we're back to 2006.

Quote :

Reacher is 6'5" tall (1.96 m) with a 50-inch chest, and weighing between 220 and 250 pounds

"Let's cast Tom Cruise!"

Think the casting had anything to do with Jack Reacher's commercial failure?

Cruise may have been wrong for the part, but he's far from the worst thing in the film.

No I don't. I'd agree that Cruise is mostly fine in the role. Was it such a huge failure though? 200+ million return on a 60 million dollar feature in the non-comic book action genre is probably fairly respectable.

Salomé wrote:

Was it such a huge failure though? 200+ million return on a 60 million dollar feature in the non-comic book action genre is probably fairly respectable.

Seems you're right. I based my view on this from Hollywood Reporter:

Quote :

But sources close to the studio tell THR the movie needs to gross $250 million worldwide for Paramount to consider moving forward with another installment -- a challenging goal.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-cruises-jack-reacher-sequel-412465

However, it seems the film performed better in Asia subsequently and a sequel might be on the cards after all.

FWIW, there is an IMDB entry for the sequel:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3393786/

Day the Earth Caught Fire

great little film. When I saw it as a kid tended to chill and to a point still does with the prospect of the Earth being sent hurtling towards the Sun following nuclear testing. Helped greatly by its location filming and use of the Daily Express' offices. Always enjoyed Edward Judd in the film, cheeky, bitter, sarcastic and the rest, tries his luck with the attractive Janet Munro and works. And of course Leo McKern, first film I saw him in and made me an admirer, this and the No.2 performances in Prisoner.
Janet Munro, for her private life problems, nice little actress...we can't gloss over her hot and sweaty moments.
In some respects the film's a byproduct of the end of the 50s/verge of Swinging 60s era but it feels quite relevant to today with the extreme weather -granted here like in Day After Tomorrow- the weather hits one after the other in succession but drought, floods, extreme storms...

Michael Caine gets a few lines in what is a pre-Zulu performance, a rather polite copper. And an honourable mention to Arthur Christiansen, the actual editor of the Express at the time. For a non-actor he makes a decent fist of things.

And do we make it at the end? Who knows.

Over the course of the week and to last night, Das Boot

chose my Uncut/TV miniseries version and so it's a whopping 4hrs odd and yet even spread across three nights it doesn't feel that long. Each time I see it, it feels an experience. Petersen's intent was to drag the viewer almost bodily through this and he manages it. Lothar Gunther Bucheim had problems with the accuracy but by and large the film attains it. My favourite always remains Jurgen Prochnow, the Captain veers between sardonic and bitter often with little humour in between.
A favourite scene remains U-96's dash for survival as the RN lights the sky up in an attempt to destroy the boat. The music adds to this scene tremendously.
And the end...the end packs a quiet if hefty punch. All that they went through to be met by fate when they come home.

Solid 5/5 for this one.

Looper (2012)

Pretty good. It has some intriguing ideas, but it never really "pops", or lack of a better expression. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very good, at least when he isn't trying to lay thick on the Bruce Willis impression too much, which is thankfully kept near the beginning as if he just wanted to get that out of his system first. Willis is of course looking bored and tired as always, but it works for this role, so it's a clever use of him. I suspect this may be the only way Bruce Willis can ever be used in film unless somebody gives him some caffeine.

Makeshift Python wrote:

Willis is of course looking bored and tired as always, but it works for this role, so it's a clever use of him. I suspect this may be the only way Bruce Willis can ever be used in film unless somebody gives him some caffeine.

Increasingly I feel the only thing he is ideal to play now is a stroke victim...sad as he was once quite a charismatic lead.

Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

Cushing, Lee and Morell are a great trio to head this production which synchs well with the Hammer style and edict for horror.

8/10

Robocop, Director's Cut

I've contrived not to see Robocop since a kid when I seem to always replay Murphy's death in my mind. No particular reason why I never watched it since but I got the DVD cheap and here we went. Brilliant from start to end, but one scene that stood for me this time was when the police are drilling into Robocop in the garage. Musically it's superb, the way the Robocop theme sounds and plays. And the payoff at the end where Kurtwood Smith gets his.
I'll say this, Basil Poledouris was a genius. Maybe no Barry, Williams or Goldsmith, but a genius.

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1976, directed by Nicolas Roeg) and UNDER THE SKIN (2013, directed by Jonathan Glazer). Two strikingly shot and stunningly strange slices of sexually charged sci-fi that revolve around a compelling lead performance: Bowie in the former and Scarlett Johansson in the latter. Not sure that I would quite cite either film as a masterpiece (although many do) - both tend to meander at times, but these are still two highly original flicks that linger in the memory.

I WISH (2011, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda). Marred only by overlength (which seems to be an increasingly common issue in films these days), this is a captivating coming-of-age drama from one of the best directors in the world.

Hilly wrote:

Day the Earth Caught Fire [snip]Janet Munro, for her private life problems, nice little actress...we can't gloss over her hot and sweaty moments.

She was very underrated. Never seen a good account of what happened to her. She went from Disney to softcore 20 years before Lindsay Lohan was conceived.

Loomis wrote:

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1976, directed by Nicolas Roeg) and UNDER THE SKIN (2013, directed by Jonathan Glazer). two highly original flicks that linger in the memory.

Can't disagree with that. The two would make a complimentary arthouse double bill if such things still exist.

Jonathan Glazer is an idiot savant. He fills his films with sublime imagery, but on a thematic level his films crumble apart (and are sometimes outright dumb, as is the case with Birth). I'd love to see what would happen if you could somehow get him to direct a fully-formed screenplay (though good luck finding one of those in today's film industry).

Finally watched The Conjuring and was genuinely creeped out by it.



The real house and doll are not to be dismissed with a slight of hand.

I enjoyed The Conjuring. It's the contemporary equivalent of a William Castle flick.

The stand-out horror flick of last year, probably. And from this year, it's probably The Babadook.

Maniac (1980)



A slasher/thriller set in 1980s crime ridden New York, starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. Only good if you're into simple elaborate kills like this: https://youtu.be/9vLEfX9JDOI?t=27m5s

Otherwise, I'd stick with DRESSED TO KILL.