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Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
The Parallex View - I had really high hopes for this... although I can't stand Warren Beatty.
It was ok. The story is a bit clunky... really drags there in the middle. Has a great ending though.
Surprising this never got a remake.
The beginning is pretty fun too. But yeah, beginning and the end are great. I always get lost in the middle (seen it like 2-3 times). It's definitely behind Marathon Man, and 3 days of the condor in terms of 70s conspiracy thrillers. Maybe even Capricorn One, although I haven't seen that one in a while. I've always found Beatty very overrated. I prefer Shampoo over this one. It's probably the only Beatty film I really like.
Did a mini Miike fest this week:
Shield of Straw--this one had the best premise. Scumbag pedophile killer has a bounty (2 bil yen) put on him by a rich guy and the cops have to bring him in (shades of Midnight Run). And it starts off well for the first 40 mins or so. You got people trying to kill this guy for the money from all angles. It slows down and we get focused on the main character including the killer. This is where it just bores me . It gets predictable and the actor playing the killer really doesn't make me care about the character. Honestly, I just wanted them to kill him because he was annoying. A misfire here by Miike but not unwatchable. He should have just went gonzo with it instead of getting all predictable.
Lesson of Evil; seen this one once before and was curious about rewatching it. First off, the guy playing the villan is great. You notice acting differences immediatley. He's evil and fucked up but there is a charisma and you care what happens to him more or less. I think the plot is the weak point, they would have been better off streamlining it. I ended up dozing off for a few mins because it took pretty long to get to the best part of the film--the ending. I admit, when I first saw the ending sequence I thought it was overkill. Now, I see it as brilliant filmaking by Miike. There's one Matrix inspired sequence that is very cool. And another one that takes advantage of hand held
camera shots. Oh, this will never be remade in the USA because of...well if you watch it you'll understand. This one was good
First Love--this one was probably my favorite. It's a story about love buried in with Miike's usual violence and yakuza wackiness. And I have no problem with that. It's very heavy on black comedy, so you can't really take the violent bits all that seriously. This takes place mostly at night so there are a lot of Tokyo here which I appreciated. USA directors don't know how to make cities anymore but thankfully that doesn't extended to foreign directors. Oh I focused on another character and found her a lot more interesting this time I watched. I think Miike probably hit his creative peak in the late 90s-early 2000s. But this one was just as enjoyable. And really, I liked the softer/character non chaos moments just as much.
- elevendayempire
- Rep: 96
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
It's a damn shame about the new Indy film. Guess I'll catch it when it hits the streamers.
Dead or Alive: more Miike. This one is in his prime. A lot of stuff gets tossed in and I love the wacky/out of bounds/non confomrist images that would make most who don't watch his films (which is 99% of the public) squeamish. This one goes back to his usual yakuza vs cops fare. I found the theme of the outsider pretty well established. One thing I've noticed about his films in general. I have a tendency to just drift in the middle of his films sometimes where I kind of have to get re-amped. It happens with almost every film with the exception of maybe Audition. Anyway, I can overlook this as there are these sequences that are just wonderfully shot and great. I'll take the strikeout in exchange for the multiple HR's.
King of New York. Rewatched this one and have no idea why this one isn't thought of more highly or mentioned among great 90s crime films. You've got Christopher Walken as the lead. Lawrence Fisburne having fun as a bad guy. Pre breakout roles from both Wesley Snipes and David Caruso. Plus there's a small cameo by Steve Buschemi. Also you have NYC in neon lit/pre cleanup glory (it's not as grimy as the 70s-80s but it's not sanitized either). I think the story is pretty good. Takes convention and twists it a little. I mean he actually wants to do a good thing in the film and not just regain his criminal empire. I liked the fact that the main cop hunting the Walken character wasn't some loud brash cop, but some old guy who was introspective and pragmatic.
Night Moves; another under the radar one. this one is a 70s conspiracy mystery type. I was struck by how close to the Jake Gitties Nicholson character that the main character Harry Moseby was. There's a lot of stuff to unpack in this movie from psychological stuff to the plot points. Great 70s soundtrack. This one is another great Hackman performance. James Woods and Melanie Griffith in very early roles here.
since it's close to July 4th, I may watch a Clint Eastwood film. Maybe Tightrope.
- metallex78
- Rep: 194
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Hidden Text:
I honestly didn’t feel that way at all. While it wasn’t without its faults and flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
- elevendayempire
- Rep: 96
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
elevendayempire wrote:Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Hidden Text:I honestly didn’t feel that way at all. While it wasn’t without its faults and flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
I think calling him a tragic character is hyperbole.
Personally I thought it was meh. No where near as bad as the typical pre-type reviews from usual corners of the Internet, but also not particularly great or compelling.
It is fine for what it is if you're not expecting something like Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I seen it last week on release. Also seen Asteroid City, which I thought was alot better for what it was supposed to be.
Just my taste though.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Watched a handful of movies this week....
American Sniper - This was pretty good...I didn't know anything about it and the ending was a surprise. I had to look up the guy's real story when it was over.
Over the Top - Hadn't watched this since the 80s. All I remembered is how it was a huge bomb.
It's not really that bad. Yeah it's cheesy...but so was just about every action movie from that era.
A mildly interesting plot, arm wrestling, some action sequences......what more did anyone want from a Sylvester Stallone movie in 1987?
Misery - I think I said this a couple years ago when I watched it....this really has a Lifetime movie vibe with hindsight. It's ok but I don't think it holds up very well. I doubt I watch this ever again.
Uncut Gems - Adam Sandler's best film...deserved an Oscar.
The Net - So glad I watched this...hadn't watched it since 1995-96. I love these dated movies showing the internet of the 1990s. Kinda ahead of its time actually...she gets food delivered through it and of course all her data gets stolen and the plot revolves around that.
My only complaint is the same as with The Pelican Brief....if they'd just leave her alone, shed probably never find out the extent of what she had stumbled upon. Putting a target on her just highlights the problem. Just grab the disc and leave her alone.
Shit like that in these movies needed fine tuning.
At Close Range - Hadn't watched it in probably 30 years. Loved it. It's also nostalgia fuel. This is one of those movies where it's shocking how young the cast is....Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Sutherland, and both Sean and Chris Penn.
It also reminded me of how massive Madonna's Live To Tell really was. You hear a form of it every few minutes throughout the film.
It's shocking how this was supposedly a massive bomb. I don't remember it bombing. The song was everywhere and it wound up being in heavy rotation when it hit the movie channels.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Misery - I think I said this a couple years ago when I watched it....this really has a Lifetime movie vibe with hindsight. It's ok but I don't think it holds up very well. I doubt I watch this ever again.
Saw this a while ago and never got the big deal. A nice enough film but nowhere near the classic its touted as.
The Net - So glad I watched this...hadn't watched it since 1995-96. I love these dated movies showing the internet of the 1990s. Kinda ahead of its time actually...she gets food delivered through it and of course all her data gets stolen and the plot revolves around that.
My only complaint is the same as with The Pelican Brief....if they'd just leave her alone, shed probably never find out the extent of what she had stumbled upon. Putting a target on her just highlights the problem. Just grab the disc and leave her alone.
True. Of the two "tech" films that came out (Hackers being the other one) back then. I find the Net the more watchable one. Probably because Bullock pulls off the damsel in distress/hero in peril stuff pretty well. The tech is dated as hell but I don't hold that against it.
The Hunger. I had a real fun time rewatching this. Probably the only time Cahterine Denueve will be the star/first billed on a US film. It's kind arty but not to the point where you can't watch it. Great eclectic soundtrack. Bowie actually isn't in the film that much but he does a great job. This film pulls off the gothic (old school kind) and 80s feel at the same time. The ending is still kind of weird to me even though I've seen this film a number of times.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Terminator 2
James Cameron is a very good film maker. He has a godly talent for entertainment and his action sequences are in a league of their own. When I was growing up this movie was the bomb. To a teenager's eyes it had everything you could wish for in a visual experience.
As a grown man however I sense some weaknesses. While the action set pieces still remain as strong as ever, and the sound design and musical scores often work in perfect tandem, the storyline, characters and universe building have some glaring flaws. Cameron is a talented man, professional and driven, but his cultural capital is poor and his need for fame and success get in the way of his creative vision. When he directs action he is flowing freely, but when writing characters and stories he is derivative and superficial. It's as if he does not trust his own inner artist in these aspects, opting to go for safe and trodden routes. The contrast to his action sequences, which are both original and inspired, is quite obvious. He goes from perfection in one scene to heavy handed messaging in the next. His culture, as it is, is decidedly modern with little else to support his foundations. To a child or a young man this may appear interesting, but to mature men it feels rudimentary and childish. In his private life he does not appear to be a humble man. He is arrogant, and I dare say the type of arrogance that is borne from ignorance. I respect his talents but not his character. Terminator 3, while inferior in every other way, is actually a lot more interesting and realistic in how the characters are built and in the interpretation of the source material. The ending is the best of the whole series, while in Judgement Day it may be the worst.
