Last Movie you Watched?

talos7 · July 2017

I've never seen Blade Runner, of all the versions is there one that has the most support as being the "best"? I realize this could be it's own topic. With the new one approaching I would like to watch the original, but which version?

chrisisall · July 2017

talos7 wrote: »

I've never seen Blade Runner, of all the versions is there one that has the most support as being the "best"? I realize this could be it's own topic. With the new one approaching I would like to watch the original, but which version?

My vote is the 1982 International version. Opinions differ.

Some_Kind_Of_Hero · July 2017

@chrisisall and I both love Blade Runner dearly but we have very different opinions on our preferred versions. ;)

Really the two that you would need to decide between would be the 1982 Theatrical Version (or International Version, which has some of the more violent scenes uncensored) with the voice-over narration and "happy" ending, or the 2007 Final Cut which is Ridley Scott's definitive version of the film. Some pages back in this thread—or was it the "Last Movie You Bought" thread?—you'll find a detailed discussion about the different versions.

I recommend viewing the Final Cut (2007) before seeing Blade Runner 2049. As this is Ridley's preferred version of the film and Ridley is producing 2049, this will be the version of Blade Runner that 2049 draws upon as its predecessor.

Creasy47 · July 2017

talos7 wrote: »

I've never seen Blade Runner, of all the versions is there one that has the most support as being the "best"? I realize this could be it's own topic. With the new one approaching I would like to watch the original, but which version?

I'd have to go with The Final Cut. Definitely a worthy viewing.

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 · July 2017

talos7 wrote: »

I've never seen Blade Runner, of all the versions is there one that has the most support as being the "best"? I realize this could be it's own topic. With the new one approaching I would like to watch the original, but which version?

@talos7, having seen the final cut first, I wouldn't advise that if you actually want to have anything to connect to with the story or characters. The narration of the theatrical trailer holds your hand through a lot, so that may be the best course because you'll be able to understand more in the first watch. After you have the theatrical under your belt you can then watch the director's cuts that leave out the narration and let the film "explain itself" in an art house sort of way.

I should've done this as @chrisisall advised, but it's easy to say that looking back as it's intimidating when you see how many cuts of this movie are out there with different aspects to them. The way I look at it is that each cut gives a different feeling, and each has major weaknesses and major strengths that others don't have in the same mixture. There's some cuts that embrace a twist most don't like, and others that include lesser seen footage you don't see in the mainstream cuts. I guess the main goal of fans of this film would be to see all the major cuts to get a full experience of the film, because even just watching the final cut and theatrical you don't get everything.

I'm waiting for a good fan cut that keeps a lot of the final cut, but improves it in editing some of the scenes to make it build better and uses the good of the other cuts to add more impact to it. I just don't think that cut would be able to happen unless Ridley went back to do another edit with all his access to old unused footage. Every ten years he does some new tweak to the movie, and since his last effort was in 2007 why not make one for 2017? ;)

talos7 · July 2017

Thanks!

Thunderfinger · July 2017

First time you see it, see it as the whole world saw it when it was brand new.

Mathis1 · July 2017

bondjames wrote: »

Some_Kind_Of_Hero wrote: »

This actually sounds like a very interesting film (all the more so because it's the brainchild of Tom Ford, "he of the tight suits fame," who I had no idea was a filmmaker). I may have to check this out.

It was much better than I expected.

I'm going to check out his earlier effort (A Single Man, starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult & Matthew Goode) at some point in the future too.

You should check out 'The American' too. George Clooney as an assassin hiding out in Italy after a botched job. Solid little thriller.

bondjames · July 2017

Mathis1 wrote: »

bondjames wrote: »

Some_Kind_Of_Hero wrote: »

This actually sounds like a very interesting film (all the more so because it's the brainchild of Tom Ford, "he of the tight suits fame," who I had no idea was a filmmaker). I may have to check this out.

It was much better than I expected.

I'm going to check out his earlier effort (A Single Man, starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult & Matthew Goode) at some point in the future too.

You should check out 'The American' too. George Clooney as an assassin hiding out in Italy after a botched job. Solid little thriller.

Thanks. I saw that one when it came out and yes, Anton Corbijn is a multi-talented chap as well.

QsAssistant · July 2017

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »

Spider-Man: Homecoming

This is a movie I know I'll need more time to absorb, much like Logan from earlier in the year. Both movies I would call solid and good, but that I have a hard time negotiating the flaws/faults of. The movie certainly isn't bad, nor did it blow my socks off and make me leave the theater fist-pumping the air like Wonder Woman. I have a long history with this character and grew up learning morality from Raimi's films, so I have my heart tied up in this as well.

My main takeaway from the film is that the Marvel formula can be both a bolster and a detriment or hindrance to this character. Yes it's cool to see Spider-Man in the same universe as his other big screen heroes like the comics come to life, but a lot of baggage also comes with that. My biggest problem with this film is that it essentially neuters Spider-Man and puts him on a leash. Tony isn't in it as much as I feared, but still far too much to the point that it begins to feel like Spidey has to share his movie instead of having it all to himself and that's not what I watch a movie of his for. I didn't care to see Tony solving his problems for him, because part of Peter's journey is doing stuff on his own. The real magic of the Raimi films is just that, where Peter must come into his own without anyone's help and face the responsibility Ben told him about fresh faced and with no cushion. I naturally hated the hand-holding that goes on between Tony and Peter in the film, because I just wanted to see more of Peter and still don't buy the surrogate father theme they're going with in the movie.

The second biggest issue I had with the film was one of scale. It feels so small, in both impact and stakes, like Spidey occupies a very flat world. The structure and pacing of the film is often all over the place and because there's never a clear organization of action beats there's no monumental climax I feel being led up to that feels like a massive finale worthy of the character. This film essentially looks like a flat graph interrupted with minor to mediate bumps to signify the points of action, whereas the Raimi films had a far better sense of pacing and planned action out more effectively to make it feel like the movie was constantly gaining momentum to something big, representing a big spike on the hypothetical graph. I don't feel that with this film, and when it ends it just ends without the amazing feeling I'm used to having with the climax of a Spidey film.

I think some of these issues may be on my side, as I still hold that Raimi's take on the character, and Tobey's performance as Peter and Spider-Man, is head-and-shoulders still the best we have. Those films were able to have the lightness of the character loom large but also contained a very adult sense of stakes where the content you were seeing was packed in consequence. Homecoming feels too much like a kid's film, and I didn't like that because Raimi was able to take the light and dark of Spider-Man's world and blend them nicely without such a tonal inconsistency occurring.

I don't want to loom over the bad, however, as I did enjoy a lot of it, namely:

*Tom Holland. On the whole, the lad is great. He is able to play up the awkward fish out of water nature of Peter well, and he is very entertaining and humorous, nailing the comedy of Spider-Man that is an essential part of the performance. I never found myself not liking him and he's easy to fall in line with. He also does a lot of his own stunts, because of his acrobatics and dancing background, giving a real impact to the action that isn't effects driven. I very much look forward to seeing this talented actor play as this character for many years to come, as he reminded me fondly of why I loved Tobey Maguire's Peter/Spider-Man so much.

*I really enjoyed the ways that the film shows anticlimactic moments in Spider-Man's life to offset the larger pieces of action, giving his crime fighting a very stark and humorous sensibility. In montages we see Spidey stopping thefts and doing a lot of leg work...and also giving old ladies directions around his neighborhood. The humor is odd but very Spider-Man. One very meta moment I loved was another time when Peter was in a race to get to a location and was swinging along until he came to a large stretch of park property where he had nothing high up to attach his webs on. With great frustration, he is forced to run after the object he wants instead of cooly flipping and flying to it. This scene reminded me of all the times I'd play the Spider-Man games and would find myself doing a bunch of cool web swinging and flips in the air, until I accidentally landed in Central Park and couldn't web swing effectively, embarrassing myself and looking foolish and lame. I like that the movie showed both the exciting and impactful moments of Peter's work, but also the tedious and disappointing parts to ground it.

*Aunt May and Peter's relationship. One of the biggest accomplishments of the Raimi films was how it built up the relationship with Peter and May, and it's one of the things that still makes me smile when I revisit them because Tobey and Rosemary Harris meshed so beautifully and May became that sweet old lady you wanted in your own family. While I don't think Tomei and Holland match that earlier pairing yet, there is great promise of that in this film and I look forward to seeing how the two of them grow together in the next films. There are a lot of sweet moments between them in this movie that I loved, where you see May trying to be a good mother to Peter even though she knows she can never have that blood connection, and Peter in the same token is trying to make her life easier because he knows how much she is still trying to face her past tragedies (implied as Ben's death).

I really loved watching these two together because they felt like a real mother and son, something that casting a younger May in the form of Tomei helped along. She and Holland have really nice and genuine chemistry that just fit, and I always wanted to see more of them.
A highlight was watching May trying to teach Peter how to dress for Homecoming, but neither were able to make it work and they sought out a YouTube video to teach Peter how to tie his tie for the big night.
It's a very familiar and funny moment for me having faced school dances not too long ago, as that's the kind of things that mothers and sons face together.

*Michael Keaton (though not for why you'd think). I didn't love Vulture in this film, and was disappointed with some of his use, but one thing I was happy that remained was a carryover from the Raimi films, where the villains each had a sense of empathy you could attach to them.
While I think Toomes became too mustache-twirling at times, there was ultimately an empathetic arc to his character that offset his cartoonishness a bit. I never felt he was a tragic or dimensional figure like Dafoe's Osborn or Molina's Ock, but as the film ended I was happy to see where Marvel seem to want to take it. I picture a Sinister Six movie as the third film in this set of Spider-Man films, where Toomes may step in to help Peter survive an attack by a string of villains. I think he ultimately respects Peter for saving his life and doing good, and the boy taught him that the best way to fight for family is to do things the right way. By being selfless and putting himself in harm's way for those he both loved and hated, I think Peter taught Toomes what kind of man he should aspire to be. As the credits rolled I viewed the man as Peter's future ally, not enemy.

I'll be talking more about this movie in the Marvel films thread on the forum, but I just wanted to get my immediate thoughts out now while they were fresh. In conclusion, a good, very solid movie that hits the right notes without necessarily stealing the show or really impacting in the way the originals did or how The Dark Knight did for that period in filmmaking. I think that without the Raimi films I would be easier on certain parts of the movie, but because I have such love for those movies, especially 2 which remains my favorite comic book film, it felt harder for Homecoming to stack up because I've seen so much of it done more effectively in those movies.

I would of course recommend it, for fans and non-fans alike. It's a good time movie that you could unwind to and it ultimately leaves you with a warm feeling minus any highly emotional drama or overdone angst. For fans of the character I think there is a lot to love, as the character is very much true to who Peter should be, and I loved how Holland was able to bring out the kinds of ideals I expect to see an actor do. He's carrying the torch from Tobey brilliantly and I think the movie sets up sequels that can build off this base and become the kinds of movies I'd like to see with a bigger sense of scale and stakes (and hopefully less Iron Man) with a dash of maturity to balance those tones.

I also think the post-credits are some of Marvel's best, but not for any reason you'd think, because in a very meta way they criticize a phenomenon in the industry they helped to build. Like a lot of the self-aware comedy of Homecoming, it was nice to see that they can joke with themselves as well.

I enjoyed reading your review. I'll hop over to the MARVEL thread to see what else you had to say. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with you while reading. I will say that Homecoming is my favorite of the Spidey films. Since the release of CA: The Winter Soldier it has been at the top of my MCU list but Homecoming may have just knocked it into second place. I probably need to give it some time before I can officially say that for sure. I may just be on a Spider-Man high right now but it's at least in my top three.
For me, as a long time Spidey fan, they finally got the character of Peter Parker and Spider-Man right. I know you have a lot of love for the Raimi movies and Tobey's version of Parker/Spidey but for me those movies are a poor representation of the character. I felt Spider-Man (2002) was hollow the world just had a fake feeling to it. Spider-Man 3 felt too cartoon-ish and the movie was just terrible, although it's almost so bad it's good. Spider-Man 2 I'll leave alone because that was actually a good movie but Tobey still didn't feel like Spider-Man to me. Holland was the perfect Parker/Spidey. He took the one good thing that Tobey had, the innocence, and the good things Garfield had, charisma and humor, and made those things his own and better.
I won't talk about everything you touched on but I will say that most of what you didn't like were the things I actually loved. Tony, Vulture (who actually ended up being my favorite villain of the MCU), and Aunt May were some of the things I loved. I'm not criticizing your opinion, I just thought it was interesting how opposite we are on this movie and the Raimi movies.

chrisisall · July 2017

Thunderfinger wrote: »

First time you see it, see it as the whole world saw it when it was brand new.

Ha ha, even then there was the U.S. theatrical cut and the International theatrical cut! ;)

Thunderfinger · July 2017

Really? Oh,well anyway...

ANGEL HEART (1987)

This is one of my all-time favourites, and it was great seeing it again. No idea how many times I saw it before.

I remember some people expressing a great deal of confusion walking out of the cinema, but don t let that fool you. They were morons.

This is a very dark detective mystery by Alan Parker, and his best film by far.

Some_Kind_Of_Hero · July 2017

Thunderfinger wrote: »

ANGEL HEART (1987)

This is one of my all-time favourites, and it was great seeing it again. No idea how many times I saw it before.

I remember some people expressing a great deal of confusion walking out of the cinema, but don t let that fool you. They were morons.

This is a very dark detective mystery by Alan Parker, and his best film by far.

That was indeed a very well made film. Sort of a horror neo-noir with voodoo—and Mickey Rourke when he still had his face. It's an experience all right.

Thunderfinger · July 2017

The book it is based on, Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg from 1978, is also a great read.

Some_Kind_Of_Hero · July 2017

I may just check that out sometime. Endorsed by Stephen King no less.

Thunderfinger · July 2017

Hjortsberg is a far better writer than King.

chrisisall · July 2017

Wow, he wrote Legend (the Tom Cruise movie). Sad that he just passed...

Creasy47 · July 2017

chrisisall wrote: »

Wow, he wrote Legend (the Tom Cruise movie). Sad that he just passed...

Tim Curry is terrifying in that. Saw it when I was young - in between that and 'IT,' he ensured I enjoyed nightmares for a good while.

Some_Kind_Of_Hero · July 2017

chrisisall wrote: »

Wow, he wrote Legend (the Tom Cruise movie). Sad that he just passed...

That's where I recognize that name from!

DarthDimi · July 2017

DD's STEVEN SEAGAL WEEKEND EXPERIENCE 3/6

MERCENARY FOR JUSTICE
Seagal is the world's greatest mercenary John Seeger. The CIA hire him for a dirty job in Africa but Seeger smells a rat. Of course he does. This guy is the best at what he does. Let the cool music assure you of that every time he's on screen. Anyway, we go into battle and in case you're wondering, nearly everyone gets killed except Seeger. Because he's the best at what he does and what he does is, well, almost everything.

Verdict
1) You should see this because
there's actually some neat action in this one! The opening war zone sequence is ambitious, loud and full of SEMPER FI! types mawing down other SEMPER FI! types. The government types are actually slimy and interesting and get a lot of screen time, more than what mere mortals usually get when overlord Seagal is near.

2) It's most certainly not boring because
despite the predictable material, the anything but sensational plot turns and the typical Seagal theatrics, there's good action, lots of it in fact, to soothe one's nerves after a rough day.

3) Meal analogy
I'm going to go softer on this one. Ice cream, with little black vanilla spots still in it, sweet but not over the top sweet, creamy and not full of ice, freshly made and served. But with half a gallon of syrup for an anticlimax.

Serious score: 3,5/5 (I stand by this. Not bad at all.)
Seagal fun score: 4/5

Gerard · July 2017

The Invisible Enemy Not bad, but two points : 1 ) the enemy should have stayed invisible, and 2) Louise Jameson, as lovely as she is, is no Raquel Welch

Divine Madness : The movie that made me a fan of Miss M. Too bad that a) the DVD had no subtitles, which means that some of Sophie Tucker's jokes went over my head, and b) we're still no closer to get a relase with all the songs that were cut for television (my favourite, "Shiver Me Timbers" among them). Thank God YouTube exists.

DarthDimi · July 2017

DD's STEVEN SEAGAL WEEKEND EXPERIENCE 4/6

KILL SWITCH
Seagal is the world's best cop Jacob King. Isaac Hayes is his favourite coroner. (Sadly, Hayes passed away in the same year as this film's release.) But I digress, so, Seagal is the world's best cop. And nurse. Yes, a nurse turned cop, giving him great anatomical and medical knowledge. He's also a workaholic. His girlfriend suffers greatly because of his absence; she wants him so very badly. Who wouldn't? Oh and there's a killer called Lazarus, obsessed with astrology. Those are crazy folks so I'm not at all surprised. Anyway, King also drags an emotionally difficult past with him and the screams keep him up at times.

Verdict
1) You should see this because
you've always wanted to know what it would be like if Steven Seagal walked into a low-rent version of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, particularly because he wrote the script. Hannibal who? Let Seagal and his divinity do the talking. I bet Jonathan Demme or David Fincher could sue this film but probably won't even allow their name smudged with the soot of this epic failure.

2) It's most certainly not boring because
it's hard not to roll on the floor laughing when you see how the action is cut. Entire frames are omitted from the final edit and so people leap and kick ass in a discontinuous fashion. Sometimes, the editor accidentally cut the punch itself! The result is comedic gold: someone looks at Seagal and is suddenly smashed against the wall but we don't see where the punch came from. :D Tears in my eyes! Seagal's famous hand fighting consists for the most part of extreme close-ups of his face and inserts of people who aren't him pretending to do some of his UNDER SIEGE stuff. Whenever Seagal's character hits a guy, we see the back of a fat person with a lousy wig, or we see him blurred. Was Seagal even on the set? Sometimes, it's the same Seagal pain face flashing by like Captain Howdy in THE EXORCIST. Oh and Seagal talks like a black man, one of the many ethnicities he desperately wants to call his own. The final scene feels like one of Seagal's private sex tapes was used to supply additional footage. I'm ... oh my, I have no words for how this film ends! :D That's like ending a Minion movie with a scene from DEBBIE DOES DALLAS for absolutely no reason. :D :D

3) Meal analogy
Fry a T-bone. That's what this film is. A fried T-bone.

Serious score: 0,5/5 (Make it stop!)
Seagal fun score: 5/5 (The hilarious editing of the fight scenes demands its own category at the Razzies. I still crack up when I think about it. :D And the final scene is the biggest 'WTF' experience I've had since I nearly OD'ed on chilli peppers.

SaintMark · July 2017

The breakfast club - 5 different teenagers are thrown together on a Saturday when they have to spend eight hours in detention. It is still a powerful movie about teenagers and their place in society and their expectations. One of the perfect films as made by John Hughes 10/10

FoxRox · July 2017

SaintMark wrote: »

The breakfast club - 5 different teenagers are thrown together on a Saturday when they have to spend eight hours in detention. It is still a powerful movie about teenagers and their place in society and their expectations. One of the perfect films as made by John Hughes 10/10

Funny and interesting film for sure.

Creasy47 · July 2017

@DarthDimi, was dying to see just how bad the editing was in 'Kill Switch.' Sure enough, this video gave me roughly two seizures and five separate headaches in a matter of minutes:

DarthDimi · July 2017

@Creasy47
I'm cracking up again! :D
Oh my, so much fun! There's soooo much fun to be had here. :D :D :D For all the wrong reasons. :) Pay attention also to the cool guitars stressing Seagal's awesomeness. I love this movie!

Creasy47 · July 2017

I'm disgustingly intrigued to watch it, given how laughably horrid that scene was. Also, how many Oscars was it up for? Had to win a couple with dialogue such as this:

"What the f*** are you doing in my place?!"
"Uh-huh."

SharkBait · July 2017

Carlito's Way
The Godfather part III
The Devil's Advocate

Hitman : Agent 47
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

DarthDimi · July 2017

@Creasy47
See, you've cracked the code. The very reason I love to watch a Steven Seagal movie. It's right there. And the man wrote this stuff. "Uh-huh." Probably still sees himself as the greatest action star this side of Asia.

He had 7 movies released in 2016! There's no art here, this is a purely industrialised waste of DVD and BR discs. I wonder how much money he owes who, for I see no other reason for crapping out movies at this rate. Pick and choose your close-ups and let the stunt guys do the rest of the scenes.

But I'm loving it!! :D

MajorDSmythe · July 2017

Burying The Ex
Oddly balanced horror/comedy from Joe Dante, starring the late Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene and Alexandra Daddario. I don't find this film the least bit believable. The times I have seen a horror film on the big screen, and left the cinema afterwards, I didn't get Alexandra Daddario chatting me up.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
I always have time for watching Milla Jovovich kicking zombie ass (or just in general), but this one I just couldn't settle in to. The editing was chaotic at times too. My least favourite Resident Evil film (which was formally the original film).

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