Last Movie you Watched?

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  • Posts: 12,462
    Fellowship of The Ring

    Haven't seen this long version in many years and it really is an incredible piece of filmmaking.

    Everything here is top notch. Acting, direction, photography and production design. Also a great score from Howard Shore and some gorgeous New Zealand locations.

    Thankfully this didn't overdo the CGI like the Hobbit films and it makes a huge difference to the essence of the film.

    Love this movie and trilogy; extended editions are the best! And yes the CGI that is used in those movies is used brilliantly, like how it can look more natural with the environment.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Has anyone else seen MEMENTO

    Yes. How'd you take it? Or have you forgotten?

    (I hope you tattooed a review on your arm if you did).


    Okay so I watched it for the second time recently and I'm still confused. So why does he write down teddies name at the end of the movie if he knows teddy isn't the person he is looking for. He ends up killing him too.

    Bit of a mind bender isn't it @JamesBondKenya ?!!


    Because he is using deliberate self delusion to continue his quest to find his wife's killer. He will have no memory of killing Teddy and will move on to the next set of clues that lead to someone else. If he 'solves' the mystery of his wife's killer what has he got to live for?

    He found and killed his wife's killer some time back (If there even was a culprit to start with) according to Teddy but Leonard is an unreliable narrator. How much of his past is real and how much is constructed from beliefs and wishes?

    The DVD edition let you watch the film in chronological order as an extra.

    Still Nolan's masterpiece, such an unsettling ending when you realise what Leonard is doing, Pearce is mesmerising, I put Prestige a close 2nd though.

    Every aspect is perfect, the acting, the writing, the score and the cinematography, alongside Usual Suspects & Se7en as one of the most audacious and original thrillers of the last 25 years.

    Incidentally My Wife and I did the Nolan Bat trilogy over the last few weeks, Batman Begins, great opener, remember catching this twice on the big screen and being so impressed that Batman had finally been done justice on the big screen.

    Not being prepared for the masterful sequel, Ledger is a revelation, as some have already said, it's rare when you see an actor completely inhabit a role like Heath does with the Joker.

    I remember the criticism that was fired at Nolan for casting him, he didn't want a name, someone everyone would associate with the role like Nicholson had been touted for years before Batman 89 came out and then delivered a performance that as charismatic as it was ended up being an extension of his own personality.

    Ledger was immersed under that suit and make up that when you looked at him you saw the Joker and no one else, as Nolan said he's not part of the main story, he's wild card, like the shark in Jaws he cuts through the film causing havoc.

    That being said everyone hits their marks and Bale just excels in the three roles he plays, Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne, the real tortured Bruce Wayne and of course Batman. The supporting cast are superb, cinematography and yes Zimmer and Newton Howards score, it might not be memorable and melodic like Elfman's anthemic offering for Burtons films but it drives and lends the film an edge and tension.

    Rises for me is the weakest but it's far from terrible, that opening is utterly thrilling and Bondesque, that being said the opening to TDK takes some beating and as ambitious as it is I prefer the Jokers scheme and intro to that to this. Rises just seems like it's handling too much, the plot is over complicated and is striving to tie up loose ends and the plot holes are many.

    That being said the ending is thrilling and the moment when Batman lets Gordon know who he is, is still one of the best of the whole series, a great trilogy with flaws but DC will strive to top this when they give it a shot.

    It might not be loyal to the comics as some would wish but then that might be why I embraced it so and haven't been moved by any subsequent film in the genre since.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @Shardlake, great thoughts, and agreed on all counts. As a Batman fan out of the womb, I can confirm that to me, Bale is my Batman. Those films have meant so much to me on every level, and they are part of my all time greatest cinematic experience when I saw all three back to back to back on the midnight release of Rises. I'll never forget it, as the feeling that erupted at three in the morning once Rises ended and the whole crowd of us shouted at the top of our lungs and clapped until your hands were sore can't be forgotten. I've seldom ever felt such a surge or adrenaline and pure joy as I did that night. As a boy who sat in front of the TV constantly watching re-runs of the animated series, seeing a live-action portrayal that was so faithful, deep and powerful in its treatment of the hero and his world brought me to tears many times. 2005 to 2012 was an absolute high to be a Batman fan, and Nolan and the cast and crew that brought those films to us are a big part of why that is.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    What's especially impressive about the Nolan Bat trilogy is that they feel so real. Consequential. The entire universe he depicted is believable. I am always completely immersed within it when I give the films a watch. It's brilliant work, given we are dealing with an essentially outlandish premise (in Batman) to begin with. Bane, Joker, Ra's all come alive as three dimensional beings, as do supporting players like Alfred & Lucius Fox. Bale's Batman and Wayne are both highly relatable and sympathetic, and I truly feel for the guy. That's a testament to the writing and to Bale's masterful performance. Even when in the costume there is a truly 'everyman' quality about him. Affleck just can't compare - too arrogant and angry.

    The Marvel output is kiddie fare in comparison and many films set in so called reality (including the FF series) also seem childish when held up against what Nolan gave us.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    bondjames wrote: »
    What's especially impressive about the Nolan Bat trilogy is that they feel so real. Consequential. The entire universe he depicted is believable. I am always completely immersed within it when I give the films a watch. It's brilliant work, given we are dealing with an essentially outlandish premise (in Batman) to begin with. Bane, Joker, Ra's all come alive as three dimensional beings, as do supporting players like Alfred & Lucius Fox. Bale's Batman and Wayne are both highly relatable and sympathetic, and I truly feel for the guy. That's a testament to the writing and to Bale's masterful performance. Even when in the costume there is a truly 'everyman' quality about him. Affleck just can't compare - too arrogant and angry.

    The Marvel output is kiddie fare in comparison and many films set in so called reality (including the FF series) also seem childish when held up against what Nolan gave us.

    @bondjames, exactly. It shouldn't feel as natural and normal that a man runs around in a batsuit, but somehow the films make you treat it as such.

    This is one thing the new WB/DC films don't have. I don't believe in the heroes or their world because they're so shoddily written. The result is that I now look at Batman in a suit and think, "this seems so weird." There's not the depth and rich character and world building of Nolan's approach to give those images any ability to trick us into accepting them. Nolan was all about meaning, subtext, theme, connectivity, resonance; in short, a director in the classic style. Snyder just likes to make things explode and have heroes punch each other in ways that look "cool." As you said, kiddie fare in comparison.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    It's been years since I sat through TDKR, I'm going to have to do a trilogy marathon here one day soon. It's long overdue.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    For me the dark knight is an incredible film and unfortunately while Bateman begins is a good movie, it doesn't even come close and for RISES, it's an okay film nothing spectacular

    Memento is also now my favorite movie because it's made so well. It is endlessly confusing but yet still makes sense.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,960
    I don't see TDKR going much better than it typically does, and I slightly prefer BB to TDK; the latter is incredible, but I feel like it's almost 'too' good and well-renown that it puts a damper on the film for me, if that makes any sense? Kind of like CR at times.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Batman Begins is the most like a comic book come to life, so I see why it has its fans. If a best Batman film had to be chosen, BB would then stand a high chance for telling such a strong origin story that depicts the most well realized Gotham we've had on screen in look AND feeling that goes for a more grounded look.

    The Dark Knight is a lot more complex, and at times examines things beyond Batman, commenting on the nature of humanity and society with a real psychological bent, such that it's not as easy to call it a simple Batman film for all the bases it covers. Our main villain is a man who doesn't know the truth of his own past, and his schemes are all meant to psychologically ravage the minds of his victims and bring them to his low point of sanity, proving his point that anyone can fall to his depths on a bad day. It makes sense why his final act is to make two boat-fulls of people blow each other up. Because he beat down Dent and made him into a monster, he thought he could bring down loads of others too. In the end though, we see that the criminals and civilians are a lot more understanding and sensible than Joker would have us believe in his anarchic speak, and though he was victorious over Dent, the hope for society to rise above chaos is evident.

    I never really call TDK a Batman film, as simply referring to it by those terms isn't enough. It takes a comic character, teams him and his world with a neo-noir style of storytelling, and presents a masterfully structured story that somehow is able to make statements on everything from right and wrong, sacrifice and responsibility, chaos and fear, dark and light, myth vs. reality, regret and trauma, and so many more aspects of life through its characters. It's one of the only films in the past fifteen or twenty years that truly feels like it earns its title as a modern classic for hitting so many strong bases as a piece of art and filmmaking.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

    Just on my way back home from seeing this. It was the London Premiere for which I won two tickets for. Had James Gunn and the cast come up on stage and twll us how awesome we are before the film started. Man, this film was incredibly entertaining. I think it's better than the first film and the character dynamics had more substance and depth. The humour was great and baby groot and Drax were scene stealers but all the characters got to shine and had great moments. I'm definitely seeing this again once it's out on wide release.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @doubleoego, sounds like fun. I'm glad you got the chance to go to such a big event.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Cheers, mate. It really was a lot of fun. Sometimes that's all that's needed; just to have a bloody good fun time.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @doubleoego, I wouldn't have really cared about the movie in the first place, though. All energies would be set on locating Zoe Saldana and getting her number.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Ha! No one could fault you for that, my friend.
  • JamesBondKenyaJamesBondKenya Danny Boyle laughs to himself
    Posts: 2,730
    I watched the first one in theatres and thought it was awesome but then when I rewatched it, and weirdly I actually kind of hated it.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I liked the first one and still do but I've always believed it to be a tad overrated. I think Vol. 2 is definitely the better film even though the first film is better paced.
  • Posts: 12,462
    Hoosiers (1986). Good film; Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper are among my favorite actors.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I watched the first one in theatres and thought it was awesome but then when I rewatched it, and weirdly I actually kind of hated it.

    I realized the first and only time what a complete failure it was.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,996
    I watched the first one in theatres and thought it was awesome but then when I rewatched it, and weirdly I actually kind of hated it.

    I realized the first and only time what a complete failure it was.

    Yeah, I'd heard so much hype about it and my friend raved to me about how awesome it was and that he'd seen it 4 times at the cinema, so when I actually watched it I was a bit underwhelmed.

    It's an enjoyable enough film but it thinks it's so cool but just comes across as smug.

    The ear friendly soundtrack is predictable and I'm afraid I found the CGI Raccoon very badly done.

    I think it fared well with the easily pleased audience. A group that seems to be the majority of moviegoers these days....
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I didn't hate the movie, It's one of those sleepover kill time movies. It was fun but aside a small cameo of a certain duck, I can't remember anything about it.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I watched the first one in theatres and thought it was awesome but then when I rewatched it, and weirdly I actually kind of hated it.

    I realized the first and only time what a complete failure it was.

    Yeah, I'd heard so much hype about it and my friend raved to me about how awesome it was and that he'd seen it 4 times at the cinema, so when I actually watched it I was a bit underwhelmed.

    It's an enjoyable enough film but it thinks it's so cool but just comes across as smug.

    The ear friendly soundtrack is predictable and I'm afraid I found the CGI Raccoon very badly done.

    I think it fared well with the easily pleased audience. A group that seems to be the majority of moviegoers these days....

    Or maybe some people just like to have fun when they watch a film...

    The movie didn't reinvent the wheel, but I have always been impressed with its use of music as a character building device, actually doing more to tell us who the characters were than the script did at times. Many of the songs commented on the coming action in a clever bit of foreshadowing or self-aware playfulness, or in others became full on anthems for the characters. The lead character was especially shaped and given dimension through music, as he used it not only to get through dangerous or disarming situations but also to remember his late mother that he felt tied to through the art form even when she had passed on. The music also drove a bunch of the youngins who didn't grow up knowing what good tunes were to seek out more songs and artists like what the film advertised, so that's never a bad thing.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,996
    The bunch of 'cool retro songs' used in the film is an easy and pretty lazy way to engage the audience. There was no skill in the way the songs were presented as far as I remember. The only directors I know who are very good at it and weave it into the films soul are Scorcese and Tarantino.

    I've no problem people just having 'fun' when watching a film but I guess I'm quite a demanding movie goer. I must admit I've got fussier as I've got older.

    I did like the film, just not as much as I expected to.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    The bunch of 'cool retro songs' used in the film is an easy and pretty lazy way to engage the audience. There was no skill in the way the songs were presented as far as I remember. The only directors I know who are very good at it and weave it into the films soul are Scorcese and Tarantino.

    I've no problem people just having 'fun' when watching a film but I guess I'm quite a demanding movie goer. I must admit I've got fussier as I've got older.

    I did like the film, just not as much as I expected to.

    Your dislike of directors using retro songs to nail audiences is one of the essential tenets of Tarantino's shtick, so I don't get what about GoTG offended you to such a high degree that you hate it so much more for doing the same things. I also think Guardians did more to use the songs beyond just obvious scene dressing (again, very Tarantino) and instead made music a fundamental element of the script and how it built its characters. Tarantino uses music to give life to scenes, but giving life to characters using music is another thing entirely.

    If it didn't work for you, it didn't. Moving along...
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,996
    The bunch of 'cool retro songs' used in the film is an easy and pretty lazy way to engage the audience. There was no skill in the way the songs were presented as far as I remember. The only directors I know who are very good at it and weave it into the films soul are Scorcese and Tarantino.

    I've no problem people just having 'fun' when watching a film but I guess I'm quite a demanding movie goer. I must admit I've got fussier as I've got older.

    I did like the film, just not as much as I expected to.

    Your dislike of directors using retro songs to nail audiences is one of the essential tenets of Tarantino's shtick, so I don't get what about GoTG offended you to such a high degree that you hate it so much more for doing the same things. I also think Guardians did more to use the songs beyond just obvious scene dressing (again, very Tarantino) and instead made music a fundamental element of the script and how it built its characters. Tarantino uses music to give life to scenes, but giving life to characters using music is another thing entirely.

    If it didn't work for you, it didn't. Moving along...

    I didn't say I hated it. I do like the film. Yet again, just not as much as I thought I would.

    As I mentioned, Tarantino is like Scorcese in that he's skilled at weaving it into the soul of his films. With other directors its a bit obvious and impersonal.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I watched the first one in theatres and thought it was awesome but then when I rewatched it, and weirdly I actually kind of hated it.

    I realized the first and only time what a complete failure it was.

    Yeah, I'd heard so much hype about it and my friend raved to me about how awesome it was and that he'd seen it 4 times at the cinema, so when I actually watched it I was a bit underwhelmed.

    It's an enjoyable enough film but it thinks it's so cool but just comes across as smug.

    The ear friendly soundtrack is predictable and I'm afraid I found the CGI Raccoon very badly done.

    I think it fared well with the easily pleased audience. A group that seems to be the majority of moviegoers these days....

    Or maybe some people just like to have fun when they watch a film...

    The movie didn't reinvent the wheel, but I have always been impressed with its use of music as a character building device, actually doing more to tell us who the characters were than the script did at times. Many of the songs commented on the coming action in a clever bit of foreshadowing or self-aware playfulness, or in others became full on anthems for the characters. The lead character was especially shaped and given dimension through music, as he used it not only to get through dangerous or disarming situations but also to remember his late mother that he felt tied to through the art form even when she had passed on. The music also drove a bunch of the youngins who didn't grow up knowing what good tunes were to seek out more songs and artists like what the film advertised, so that's never a bad thing.

    Quoted for truth.

    Honestly, it's just a movie that's meant to be fun and entertain. Some people are acting like these movies should give their lives meaning. How many people can say they even knew who the GoTg were before the film came out? Meanwhile this obscure Marvel property became a critical success and made over $700 million, in fact it made exactly $100 million less than BvS. Yes, failure on all levels.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    doubleoego wrote: »
    I watched the first one in theatres and thought it was awesome but then when I rewatched it, and weirdly I actually kind of hated it.

    I realized the first and only time what a complete failure it was.

    Yeah, I'd heard so much hype about it and my friend raved to me about how awesome it was and that he'd seen it 4 times at the cinema, so when I actually watched it I was a bit underwhelmed.

    It's an enjoyable enough film but it thinks it's so cool but just comes across as smug.

    The ear friendly soundtrack is predictable and I'm afraid I found the CGI Raccoon very badly done.

    I think it fared well with the easily pleased audience. A group that seems to be the majority of moviegoers these days....

    Or maybe some people just like to have fun when they watch a film...

    The movie didn't reinvent the wheel, but I have always been impressed with its use of music as a character building device, actually doing more to tell us who the characters were than the script did at times. Many of the songs commented on the coming action in a clever bit of foreshadowing or self-aware playfulness, or in others became full on anthems for the characters. The lead character was especially shaped and given dimension through music, as he used it not only to get through dangerous or disarming situations but also to remember his late mother that he felt tied to through the art form even when she had passed on. The music also drove a bunch of the youngins who didn't grow up knowing what good tunes were to seek out more songs and artists like what the film advertised, so that's never a bad thing.

    Quoted for truth.

    Honestly, it's just a movie that's meant to be fun and entertain. Some people are acting like these movies should give their lives meaning. How many people can say they even knew who the GoTg were before the film came out? Meanwhile this obscure Marvel property became a critical success and made over $700 million, in fact it made exactly $100 million less than BvS. Yes, failure on all levels.

    @doubeloego, I just resented the "easily pleased" remark. It shows somewhat of a myopic reaction to the very wide breadth of filmmaking going on these days. Just like you wouldn't judge a comedy for its lack of character studies and high drama, you wouldn't take a space opera with a frivolous and colorful edge to task for not doing the same things. It's quite clear what the movie was shooting to be from trailer to the final release, and I think it succeeded in that regard. There was no identity crisis like you see with so many others today, including DC's line-up. So you either like it for what it is, or you don't. But it is only what it is, and shouldn't have to be more.

    As I always say, though, Guardians is one of those films that actually has a lot going on that you don't see on the immediate surface. But on top of that it carries a nice message of unity and understanding, and that's something for kids and adults to take to heart. And yes, it's simply a fun movie. Heaven forbid in a shitty world we get to hear characters enjoying their lives and dancing to great music that gives them meaning and happiness. As someone who often needs music to get through the day, Starlord is my kinda guy.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    GOTG is beautiful, pulpy, pop culture brilliance.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I must give the first one a watch sometime. I've deliberately avoided it. Interestingly, it's because that song they played during the trailers bugged the hell out of me. That's the thing about music. It tugs positively, or alternatively can seriously grate.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    edited April 2017 Posts: 3,996
    bondjames wrote: »
    I must give the first one a watch sometime. I've deliberately avoided it. Interestingly, it's because that song they played during the trailers bugged the hell out of me. That's the thing about music. It tugs positively, or alternatively can seriously grate.

    Is that the 'Hooked on a Feeling' song that nobody knew about until Tarantino used it in Reservoir Dogs over 20 years ago...? ;)
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    bondjames wrote: »
    I must give the first one a watch sometime. I've deliberately avoided it. Interestingly, it's because that song they played during the trailers bugged the hell out of me. That's the thing about music. It tugs positively, or alternatively can seriously grate.

    Is that the 'Hooked on a Feeling' song that nobody knew about until Tarantino used it in Reservoir Dogs over 20 years ago...? ;)
    That's the one. Can't stand it. I only saw Reservoir Dogs once in the theatre and so didn't realize it had been used there.
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