movies What's the last film you watched? And rate it!

[Jack Lynt]

Only Lovers Left Alive. Quite nice. Excellent cast. But rather strange vampires;

Spoiler

they're susceptible to human disease. Though I guess that's not an unprecedented choice

. Maybe an A-?

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden. Quite interesting and well made documentary. A.

Absentia. I almost gave up on it early. But I stuck with it. Really not too bad. I do really get exasperated with the people-making-stupid-choices crutch so many...really, most horror films rely upon. Not really exasperated as just tired of it. Still, not so bad for a low budget film. A rather interesting premise in there. C

 

[MiniJamesW]

Anthropo-cynical Farce directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto - 5/10
Okay so I really didn't get this, partly because there was so much bad subtitles hitting at me in a fast pace, but also because I didn't see the point. If this is surreal experimental animation work, I still don't think it's that good since the images weren't very impressive, in fact most of the film was just nonanimated stills (which even these were not that visually interesting IMO). Anyone who wants to see short surreal experimental animation should watch Larry Jordan's work which is just brilliant. Anyone that wants to see wonderful puppet animation, should just go ahead and watch Kawamoto's other short films (I just saw his debut short the other day and that was brilliant even though it was a bit too long IMO, there's this really nice mood to that film and it does so much without dialogue!)

Rich And Famous directed by Taylor Wong - 6/10
Gosh what is wrong with Taylor Wong! He gets to work with the best stars in Hong Kong at their prime (namely Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Carina Lau, and Alan Tam) as well as one of the best supporting casts in Hong Kong rivaling John Woo's casts, with great concepts in his films, and working in one of the richest genres of the period (the 'heroic bloodshed' gangster films) yet he only produces mediocre work! The film has great story potential but Wong just doesn't tie the film together well, it has about four or five interesting relationships of friendship, loyalty, brotherhood, family, and romance but none of them are well developed. It also barely has any action, although when it does it's pretty damn great especially the explosive ending. Ugh, in the hands of John Woo, Ringo Lam, or Patrick Tam this could have been a masterpiece or at least a great film, but nope we get a interesting concept with lots of potentially interesting characters put to waste on a film that has forced sentimentality (especially through overuse of music), forced thematic development, and mostly uninspired action sequences when they do appear. I'd give this a 5/10 but the ending kind of salvaged the film for me, it is just too brilliant, the whole last act or so is pretty good overall, then there's also the fact that you have Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau here at their most handsome, and I just like the concept and story a lot, it really fits the ideal of the 'heroic bloodshed' genre. Ah well, I'm still gonna watch the sequel anyway since the ending kind of left me wanting more. Still, I can only recommend it to diehard Hong Kong cinema fans, especially those that like 'heroic bloodshed' but come into it expecting a Taylor Wong film lol, at least it isn't as mediocre as Triads: The Inside Story.

 

[A.D.]

What one did you see?

okay I'll revise this a little bit and narrow my recommendations:

Must see films:
The Matrix
Lord of the Rings (don't bother with the extend editions) I've literally seen the two towers more than a dozen times.

Cult classic:
Blade Runner

Popcorn entertainment:
The Fifth Element
Source code
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Low Budget Independent Film:
Donnie Darko

MiniJames - definitely check out Blade Runner (directors cut or not they're all good, but there's a few changes), and Matrix too. Waking life is worth a pop too if you like Inceptiony/Matrixy type movies.

LOTR on the other hand, you should totally ignore sfoster's heretical advice and absolutely watch the extendeds (or both if you can stomach a 2 day session ). The original cut is only for wimps and cinema goers with with bladder disorders.

 

[MiniJamesW]

MiniJames - definitely check out Blade Runner (directors cut or not they're all good, but there's a few changes), and Matrix too. Waking life is worth a pop too if you like Inceptiony/Matrixy type movies.

LOTR on the other hand, you should totally ignore sfoster's heretical advice and absolutely watch the extendeds (or both if you can stomach a 2 day session ). The original cut is only for wimps and cinema goers with with bladder disorders.

Haha well I've heard a lot of great things about Blade Runner and I've always wanted to watch it, and The Matrix as well. I've been getting into Richard Linklater recently so I'll definitely check out Waking Life.

Haha well, idk I have trouble with really long movies unless they are really good, and the original cuts seem long enough. But what I don't understand is, what is the way the filmmaker thinks is best? I like trying it that way, sometimes it's later versions (as in The Big Sleep) but sometimes the original version is considered to be the definitive vision the film is trying to show. Has Peter Jackson commented on the best way to watch these films? If it's the extended version, I'll definitely try those but I won't sit through all of them at once!

 

[JoshL]

The extended LOTR films are definitely for fans of the books. Most of the scenes are either from the books or doing some damage control for changes in the films (Faramir in particular). I haven't watched the theatrical versions since they were in the theaters, but throw on the extended cuts fairly frequently. But I am not bothered by long movies, and am a fantasy junkie, so they couldn't possibly be too long for me, so you might want to try at least the first theatrical cut to see how you feel about the movies in general. Unless you love the books.

And sometimes the director is not always right. The director's cut of Legend is an average film at best...the theatrical cut however is amazing (again, if you are a fantasy fan). And I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who thinks the Star Wars special editions are better.

Speaking of, if you are exploring sci-fi/fantasy, put Legend on your watch list.

 

[A.D.]

Yeah, the extended cuts are closest to his vision. They do change the film in many ways, and a because of the differences in story and continuity a lot of extra reshoots were needed (or were already accounted for anyway). Theres a lot of incidental stuff in the shorter cuts that feels a bit tacked on or token after seeing the extendeds, and so they had a chance to really go into more with some of the secondary stories particularly. Some can find it to be all a bit self indulgent and unneccesary, while others welcome the extra insight of the longer cuts.

TBH I couldn't tell you exactly what differs between the two as I haven't seen the orig for years now, but it's not just longer battle scenes etc in the extendeds. I suppose it depends how you prefer your epics - somewhat more concise, or more detailed, but iirc the extendeds are Peter and co's personal choice cuts.

 

[MiniJamesW]

Yeah, the extended cuts are closest to his vision. They do change the film in many ways, and a because of the differences in story and continuity a lot of extra reshoots were needed (or were already accounted for anyway). Theres a lot of incidental stuff in the shorter cuts that feels a bit tacked on or token after seeing the extendeds, and so they had a chance to really go into more with some of the secondary stories particularly. Some can find it to be all a bit self indulgent and unneccesary, while others welcome the extra insight of the longer cuts.

TBH I couldn't tell you exactly what differs between the two as I haven't seen the orig for years now, but it's not just longer battle scenes etc in the extendeds. I suppose it depends how you prefer your epics - somewhat more concise, or more detailed, but iirc the extendeds are Peter and co's personal choice cuts.

Well then I think I'm gonna go with the extended cuts if they are closest to the original vision (even though I know this is not always best, but it's where I like to start). Thanks for all the information!

 

[sfoster]

TBH I couldn't tell you exactly what differs between the two as I haven't seen the orig for years now.

Well then I think I'm gonna go with the extended cuts if they are closest to the original vision (even though I know this is not always best, but it's where I like to start). Thanks for all the information!

Advice from someone that cannot tell you the difference between the two versions

Of course the choice is yours, either way it's a fantastic film you won't regret watching. The only extended edition that has a scene I think they should have kept is in the last one, Return of the King. There is a cool fight with gandalf vs one of the wraiths that didn't make the theatrical cut.

Also regarding one of your old comments on the matrix, IDK if you're aware of this but the matrix is so much more than an action film. Entire books have been written on the philosophical implications of the film. I've had debates that span across months, and small revelations about the movie years later even though I had already seen it many times over.

 

[A.D.]

'Exactly' was an important word in that sentence.

I haven't seen the original in years as I thought it was crap compared to the extendeds.

 

[A.D.]

We watched 'A touch of cloth' 2 earlier, and I know it's technically presented as a TV mini series (2 x 45 min episodes per series), but they're really just 90min tv comedy movies chopped in half.

Parodying detective murder dramas, they're done in a kind of a modern Airplane! spoof style, with loads of visual gags and rapid fire puns. All utterly terrible and hilarious, but the deadpan delivery is superb.

The first film/series/whatever was a bit closer to the cheesy british detective shows like 'A touch of frost' and 'Cracker' etc, whereas ToC 2 parodies more typically US cop/gangster films with armed gangs and cliched strip club hangouts and so on.

I don't want to ruin any of the jokes or plot for anyone, so I'll leave it there and just say that it's the funniest thing we've seen in a good while, and none of us here are particularly ones for slapstick/spoofs normally.

8/10

 

[MiniJamesW]

Advice from someone that cannot tell you the difference between the two versions

Of course the choice is yours, either way it's a fantastic film you won't regret watching. The only extended edition that has a scene I think they should have kept is in the last one, Return of the King. There is a cool fight with gandalf vs one of the wraiths that didn't make the theatrical cut.

Also regarding one of your old comments on the matrix, IDK if you're aware of this but the matrix is so much more than an action film. Entire books have been written on the philosophical implications of the film. I've had debates that span across months, and small revelations about the movie years later even though I had already seen it many times over.

Haha well it is tempting for me to go for the shorter ones just because I'm not used to watching longer films, but if it was Jackson's original intention to have these extended versions I think I'm just going with them.

And well, I've heard things about The Matrix, but I don't see anything wrong with its genre film origins, I embrace genre and if the action in the film is good and inspired by directors that I admire as great filmmakers, I don't see how it's a bad thing if it does the genre well while adding content that is more complex than what is standard for the genre it's working in. I guess what I'm saying is that I think that by saying that this film is "more than an action film," you seem to be implying that an action film is a lesser form of cinema than other forms which I simply don't think is true. One of the main reasons why I argue a lot with my friends is that I argue that genre films are just as valid as art films. To me, I don't think it's absurd to say that both John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai are great filmmakers, nor is it ridiculous to say that John Cassavetes and Steven Spielberg are great filmmakers, these are all great filmmakers that try different things. For me what makes an interesting genre filmmaker is one that finds ways of making the genre fresh as John Woo did by inventing the 'heroic bloodshed' sub-genre or in the way that Spielberg basically re-appropriated Old Hollywood conventions to make innovations in the blockbuster film. Of course there are different degrees of experimenting with or forgoing genre, but as long as the film succeeds in what it is aiming for artistically then I can appreciate the film (and usually enjoy it as well). For me, even "ordinary" genre films can be just as deeply enjoyable and great as art films or films that have 'deep' or philosophical content. It'll be interesting to see The Matrix as it seems to be one of those films that is definitely a genre film that tries to implement more complex content, as opposed to being a formally complex work with complex content as well.

 

[sfoster]

Sure action movies are great, I enjoy them.
But if you can be an amazing action film AND something much deeper at the same time, it's going to be better than just an action film on it's own.

There is so much thought and detail into the matrix, even little things like why the agents finish each others sentences. I did not get the meaning behind that for years and then one day I was watching it and eureka.

Tonight I watched EDGE OF TOMORROW!
It's been 11 years since I looked forward to a movie this much, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed! Tons of laughs in this film, and non-stop action.

Christopher McQuarrie deserves to be a household name. Give him another couple years and I think he might just get there! At least, if he hires a good publicist. Right now he doesn't even seem to have a Facebook.

Hell I never thought I'd be excited for a mission impossible film. Now I can't wait for #5!

 

[A.D.]

Black Hawk Down

Not quite as intense as the first veiwing many years ago, but it still gripped us all to the end. Had forgotten just how many young (now famous) actors were in it too!

Gritty stuff - 8/10

 

[mus]

The extended LOTR films are definitely for fans of the books. Most of the scenes are either from the books or doing some damage control for changes in the films (Faramir in particular). I haven't watched the theatrical versions since they were in the theaters, but throw on the extended cuts fairly frequently. But I am not bothered by long movies, and am a fantasy junkie, so they couldn't possibly be too long for me, so you might want to try at least the first theatrical cut to see how you feel about the movies in general. Unless you love the books.

Yeah, after watching the extended versions, I decided I wouldn't watch the theatrical versions again. These are the kind of films where you just want more and the extended versions give you that

 

[MiniJamesW]

Sure action movies are great, I enjoy them.
But if you can be an amazing action film AND something much deeper at the same time, it's going to be better than just an action film on it's own.

There is so much thought and detail into the matrix, even little things like why the agents finish each others sentences. I did not get the meaning behind that for years and then one day I was watching it and eureka.

Eh, I see what you're saying although for me a well-done genre film (without "depth") will always be better than a pretentious genre film that adds unnecessary "depth" (I'm not saying this film is an example of this, I just don't see why filmmakers have this need to 'legitimize' the genre film, and cinephiles feel the need to defend genre films based on these 'legitimate' reasons).

 

[MiniJamesW]

Okay I've seen a lot of films since Friday but haven't had time to post.

Ballet mécanique directed by Fernand Léger - 9/10
Great crazy images haha, I'm not so sure I love this as other surrealist stuff I have seen but this was great even though it was a bit too long for me.

The Man With A Movie Camera directed by Dziga Vertov - 10/10
This is probably the definitive I appreciate it more than I love it movie for me, there is just so much great stuff here but it isn't my kind of movie. I still give it a masterpiece rating because for whatever reason the second half really hit me, I loved all of the second half and appreciated it, while the first half was more just appreciation than actual love for the film. Maybe next time I'll watch it I'll love the whole thing, in any case I think this is definitely a masterpiece.

Goodbye South, Goodbye directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 10/10
Oh my gosh, I think this might just be the best gangster film I have seen so far. Hou just grounds the gangsters in a realism that I haven't really seen anywhere else, I mean Johnnie To and Takeshi Kitano ground their gangsters in realism only to take them in different directions later (the former puts precise militaristic action, the latter adds absurd comedy to the mix). This film is more about loneliness and the inability to communicate than anything. It's as if Hou saw Wong Kar Wai's debut As Tears Go By and decided to do it the right way. Every scene here is wonderful, and yet they feel more like slices of real life than actual scenes. There is a lot of great humor that surprised me, and Hou's aesthetic just really works for this film. The 'transportation' scenes in cars and motorcycles are among the best I have ever seen. And even though the film isn't absurd like Kitano's stuff, the ending is as funny as anything I've seen in Kitano. This is definitely among my favorite Hou Hsiao-hsien films, and any films in general.

La Belle Epoque directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 7/10
Eh, I saw this on the big screen and it had no subtitles so all I could tell was that it was a warm family-themed short film starring the always lovely Shu Qi. Fortunately I found it on YouTube with Spanish subtitles (thank God I can read/speak Spanish!) and I re-watched it. It's a good enough little short film, very lightweight but just as warm as I suspected. But Hou is definitely not a short film director.

Dust In The Wind directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 10/10
Wow, another mindblowing Hou film! This one has a great heartbreaking story that just creeps up on you. Hou's invariable static long takes in this one are gorgeous, the performances are all great, and gosh this is just one that has to be seen to be understood. I have a hard time choosing between this and A Time To Live and A Time To Die as my favorite early Hou film, but they're all great from Fengkuei and on, all of those are just masterpieces!

A City Of Sadness directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 10/10
As usual with films that are regarded as among the greatest masterpieces, I tend to want to dislike them. I really wanted to go against the critics and say that this was second-rate Hou or that this was overrated, but nope this is indeed Hou's greatest work I've seen so far (I just have to watch three more of them). Here Hou takes everything he learns from his personal films to basically reinvent the historical film genre as he would continue to do so in the 90's. Tony Leung gives an excellent performance as a mute, Jack Kao is as charming as always, and so is Li Tianlu of course! This is simply one of the best films I've seen in my life (I'd place it in my top 10), but I will have to say that anyone wanting to watch this film should study up on some Taiwanese history before as I did because it is a film that very much expects you to know the historical context to some extent. I think this is one of those films that I'm going to re-watch a lot because it simply has so much going on and it is so formally perfect with those static long takes, the transitional shots, and of course the synthesizer music. After watching this film I was so blown away, I'm inspired to make historical films of my own nation because now I've finally understood how a filmmaker can have such a strong relationship to history. As much as I love something like Schindler's List, it's clear that Spielberg's relationship to those events isn't as personal as the relationship Hou demonstrated to his nation's history in his historical trilogy, and anyone interested in how historical films should be done without intentionally cutting some of the depth to make them more accessible should watch Hou's historical trilogy.

 

[sfoster]

James you moved to NYC?

 

[MiniJamesW]

James you moved to NYC?

Yup, studying at NYU, having the time of my life!

Plus I get to go to all these super rare screenings!

 

[sfoster]

Yup, studying at NYU, having the time of my life!

Plus I get to go to all these super rare screenings!

Awesome
Don't tell anyone you haven't seen the matrix

 

[MiniJamesW]

Awesome
Don't tell anyone you haven't seen the matrix

Haha actually one of my best friends here loves that movie a lot, and it's his favorite. He was surprised that I haven't seen it lol, I mean I've seen almost every major film of the Taiwanese New Wave but I haven't seen The Matrix lol. I guess it's cause I didn't really get into film watching till later in my life, and I was introduced to cinema through guys like Lars von Trier, Shunji Iwai, and Zhang Yimou, then Old Hollywood filmmakers. And when I was younger I just watched whatever played in multiplexes, but I always had an aversion to action films until like last year so I have to catch up on action films, especially American ones. In any case, we all have important films we haven't seen haha, there is so much more you'd be surprised that I haven't seen!