Last Movie You Watched

[Mirror Image]

I know I'm beating my drum too loudly, but Karl and Jeffrey (Vandermolen) have you guys watched the Sam Barber documentary Absolute Beauty yet? Inquiring minds want to know.

[arpeggio]

I am normally a big fan of the Marvel Studio Movies but I ended up hating Infinity Wars.

An essential component of all great science fiction is "suspension of belief".  Suspension of disbelief is the ability of a writer to make a fantasy/science fiction story believable.  Even the Lord of the Rings must be believable within its fantasy world.  I am sure many of you dear readers can state this better that I can (I know I am going to catch it from some because of my poor ability to express myself).

Hollywood is just as great at messing up science fiction as they do with history.

Two of my favorites gaffs are in the movies Pearl Harbor and Armageddon.

In Pearl Harbor there is the scene where they are cutting into the hull of a capsized ship in order to save trapped sailors.  They cut a hole in the hull above the water line and the cabin the sailors are trapped in fill with water and they drown. (I know Pearl Harbor is not suppose to be fantasy but the only thing they got right is the date of the attack.  With all of the other gaffs is might as well be a fantasy.)

In Armageddon it starts raining on the asteroid just before Bruce Willis blows it up.

Even with the problems with Asgard in the Thor movies I still enjoyed them.

The worst one with Infinity Wars were the seven infinity stones.  I have read that the latest estimate by scientists is that there are at least three trillion galaxies in the universe.  Our galaxy has between 250 and 300 billion stars and I think that it is slightly above average.  Andromeda I think as over a trillion stars. 

According to Infinity Wars the seven infinity stones were created in the big bang.  These are like the size of large gems.  Well guess what?  All of them were in our galaxy and two of them were on earth.  What the??? For me this was a bridge too far in the believability department. 

[aligreto]

The Hoax





An amazing [based on a true] story about a guy who is backed into a corner, creates a false story and the lengths that he goes to to maintain the lie.

[TheGSMoeller]

I am normally a big fan of the Marvel Studio Movies but I ended up hating Infinity Wars.

The worst one with Infinity Wars were the seven infinity stones.  I have read that the latest estimate by scientists is that there are at least three trillion galaxies in the universe.  Our galaxy has between 250 and 300 billion stars and I think that it is slightly above average.  Andromeda I think as over a trillion stars. 

According to Infinity Wars the seven infinity stones were created in the big bang.  These are like the size of large gems.  Well guess what?  All of them were in our galaxy and two of them were on earth.  What the??? For me this was a bridge too far in the believability department.

The reason two were on Earth is because one was lost on there centuries ago (Space Stone) and the other one (Mind Stone) was given to Loki to use as a weapon to obtain the Tesseract. 

Have you read the Infinity War comic? It's even more unbelievable, but entertaining, just like the movie. 

Plus keeping the Infinity Stone count to 6, and limiting the area of space where the stones could be located kept the film at a healthy 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Otherwise we would've needed a mini-series.

[Todd]

An updated Fahrenheit 451.  It looks slick, has Michael Shannon playing a heavy (always a plus), and ridiculously good looking stars in Michael B Jordan and Sofia Boutella, but it just kind of comes and goes, with no real impact. 

[Draško]

Ok, but not one of Argento's best.

[TheGSMoeller]

There is a new Criterion edition of The Color Of Pomegranates (1969) from Russian filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov, but I still have this not-so-good-looking DVD release from 2001. It's a poetically fascinating film, would love to see a remastered version.

[Moonfish]

There is a new Criterion edition of The Color Of Pomegranates (1969) from Russian filmmaker Sergei Paradjanov, but I still have this not-so-good-looking DVD release from 2001. It's a poetically fascinating film, would love to see a remastered version.

Wow! That looks intriguing, GSMoeller! I have never heard of Paradjanov!

[lisa needs braces]

The Hoax





An amazing [based on a true] story about a guy who is backed into a corner, creates a false story and the lengths that he goes to to maintain the lie.

Did you see the movie "Arbitrage" starring Richard Gere that came out a few few years ago? It's a somewhat understated drama/thriller I found captivating.

[Moonfish]

The Silence of the Lambs

[Karl Henning]

I know I'm beating my drum too loudly, but Karl and Jeffrey (Vandermolen) have you guys watched the Sam Barber documentary Absolute Beauty yet? Inquiring minds want to know.

Not yet, with an explanation 

I had planned to watch Friday evening, but my wife had the delightful idea of going up to Portsmouth to take my mom-in-law out for a belated birthday dinner, which was an even better time than my initial plan.  The three-day weekend itself was a blur of activity, the most pertinent to GMG  0:) being, that I have been hot on the trail of the present score for symphonic band.  Well, and a Triad dress rehearsal last night, for our concert this Sunday.

The thing, of course, is especially for my first viewing, I want to sit and give the film its two hours' time.  It is kind of the shape of my week, that the first clear block to be counted on (when it can be counted on  ) is Friday . . . again . . . .

[drogulus]

     I watch an interesting documentary recently, Bombshell, about the actress Hedy Lamarr.

Although better known for her Silver Screen exploits, Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr (born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler) also became a pioneer in the field of wireless communications following her emigration to the United States. The international beauty icon, along with co-inventor George Anthiel, developed a "Secret Communications System" to help combat the Nazis in World War II. By manipulating radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception, the invention formed an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by enemy personnel.

Lamarr and Anthiel received a patent in 1941, but the enormous significance of their invention was not realized until decades later. It was first implemented on naval ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis and subsequently emerged in numerous military applications. But most importantly, the "spread spectrum" technology that Lamarr helped to invent would galvanize the digital communications boom, forming the technical backbone that makes cellular phones, fax machines and other wireless operations possible.

     

     

[LKB]

2001: A Space Odyssey
New 70mm print created by Warner,  overseen by Christopher Nolan

Viewed May 18th as the Castro Theater, San Francisco, CA, USA

As regular visitors may be aware,  this is my all-time favorite motion picture, and has been since l saw it in a Cinerama theater during its initial release in 1968. I was nine years old,  had recently been turned on to orchestral music, and was an avid follower of the American effort to walk on the Moon before the Russians. In other words,  perfectly primed for Stanley Kubrick's magnum opus.

So, this cannot be an objective appraisal of the film itself. It is inextricably contained within that golden vault of cherished childhood memory, where summer never ends and school never comes.

I will simply relate my experience in the theater on May 18th. Since this release is now concluded, my friends here can read my observations and, hopefully, make use of them in deciding whether to see the film during its wider release this summer.

Fans of the film will undoubtedly own the bluray, which dates from 2007. So - was it better than watching the bluray?

My best answer would be, " It was different ".

The pros:

Certain production weaknesses in the film which are readily visible on bluray, are nearly impossible to detect when projected in a theater.

Also,  the color in the film is more interesting, subtle and effective, particularly during the slit-scan " stargate " sequence.

The cons:

I had hoped that with a new 70mm print l would see an image with superior clarity and resolution. I must report that the resolution l witnessed at the Castro was indistinguishable from the bluray, except during perhaps ten seconds in two scenes where it may have been slightly superior.

Also,  l found flicker to be a major distraction during the " Dawn of Man " scenes. The  front - projected images were photographed primarily on days with overcast skies,  and while the resulting brightness of the images may have helped Kubrick, they also accentuate the flicker from a projector running at 24fps.

Those accustomed to the bluray are probably watching on monitors which can interpolate frames, which results in flicker nearly vanishing. So be warned: in the theater,  it is extremely evident.

Finally,  the soundtrack was too loud. Films of fifty years ago did not have the dynamic, thunderous sound - effects and music of today's entertainment. The sound should be at a level which is appropriate,  not maximized.

So, something of a mixed bag... but l still encourage anyone who can to see the film in the theater this summer. There are moments where the experience is not reproducible when watching on bluray, and since l cannot discount the possibility of human error ( ha! I got to use it... ) during projection, I'll be back in front of the screen this summer,  at a different venue.

Cheers,

LKB

[Mirror Image]

Not yet, with an explanation 

I had planned to watch Friday evening, but my wife had the delightful idea of going up to Portsmouth to take my mom-in-law out for a belated birthday dinner, which was an even better time than my initial plan.  The three-day weekend itself was a blur of activity, the most pertinent to GMG  0:) being, that I have been hot on the trail of the present score for symphonic band.  Well, and a Triad dress rehearsal last night, for our concert this Sunday.

The thing, of course, is especially for my first viewing, I want to sit and give the film its two hours' time.  It is kind of the shape of my week, that the first clear block to be counted on (when it can be counted on  ) is Friday . . . again . . . .

Excellent, Karl. You don't owe me any explanation, my friend. Being busy is always a great thing, especially when it comes to family and music.

[Karl Henning]

2001: A Space Odyssey
New 70mm print created by Warner,  overseen by Christopher Nolan

Viewed May 18th as the Castro Theater, San Francisco, CA, USA

As regular visitors may be aware,  this is my all-time favorite motion picture, and has been since l saw it in a Cinerama theater during its initial release in 1968. I was nine years old,  had recently been turned on to orchestral music, and was an avid follower of the American effort to walk on the Moon before the Russians. In other words,  perfectly primed for Stanley Kubrick's magnum opus.

So, this cannot be an objective appraisal of the film itself. It is inextricably contained within that golden vault of cherished childhood memory, where summer never ends and school never comes.

I will simply relate my experience in the theater on May 18th. Since this release is now concluded, my friends here can read my observations and, hopefully, make use of them in deciding whether to see the film during its wider release this summer.

Fans of the film will undoubtedly own the bluray, which dates from 2007. So - was it better than watching the bluray?

My best answer would be, " It was different ".

The pros:

Certain production weaknesses in the film which are readily visible on bluray, are nearly impossible to detect when projected in a theater.

Also,  the color in the film is more interesting, subtle and effective, particularly during the slit-scan " stargate " sequence.

The cons:

I had hoped that with a new 70mm print l would see an image with superior clarity and resolution. I must report that the resolution l witnessed at the Castro was indistinguishable from the bluray, except during perhaps ten seconds in two scenes where it may have been slightly superior.

Also,  l found flicker to be a major distraction during the " Dawn of Man " scenes. The  front - projected images were photographed primarily on days with overcast skies,  and while the resulting brightness of the images may have helped Kubrick, they also accentuate the flicker from a projector running at 24fps.

Those accustomed to the bluray are probably watching on monitors which can interpolate frames, which results in flicker nearly vanishing. So be warned: in the theater,  it is extremely evident.

Finally,  the soundtrack was too loud. Films of fifty years ago did not have the dynamic, thunderous sound - effects and music of today's entertainment. The sound should be at a level which is appropriate,  not maximized.

So, something of a mixed bag... but l still encourage anyone who can to see the film in the theater this summer. There are moments where the experience is not reproducible when watching on bluray, and since l cannot discount the possibility of human error ( ha! I got to use it... ) during projection, I'll be back in front of the screen this summer,  at a different venue.

Cheers,

LKB

Thanks for all this, I feel a vicarious enjoyment through your vivid report.  I shall look for it when/if it comes to Boston (how could it not, right?)

[Karl Henning]

Excellent, Karl. You don't owe me any explanation, my friend. Being busy is always a great thing, especially when it comes to family and music.

And I appreciate your enthusiasm for the Barber film (which is why I pulled the trigger)  0:)

[Draško]

Couldn't finish it. The first one had Werner Herzog as the villain, this one has nothing.

[LKB]

Thanks for all this, I feel a vicarious enjoyment through your vivid report.  I shall look for it when/if it comes to Boston (how could it not, right?)

You're quite welcome, sir. And since Warner installed 70mm equipment in a hundred theaters around the country last year for Dunkirk, I should think Boston would have at least one theater with the new equipment.  Hopefully the location will be convenient for everyone interested in the experience.

Cheers,

LKB

[Karl Henning]

You're quite welcome, sir. And since Warner installed 70mm equipment in a hundred theaters around the country last year for Dunkirk, I should think Boston would have at least one theater with the new equipment.  Hopefully the location will be convenient for everyone interested in the experience.

Cheers,

LKB

That must have been a blast, Dunkirk (which I enjoyed on Blu-ray).

[LKB]

I've just found this:

http://gatewayfilmcenter.org/2001-a-spaceodyssey-1968-50th-anniversary-in-70mm/

If the film is going to play in Columbus, Ohio in a few weeks, then it's sure to be in Boston at some point...

Dunkirk was impressive, particularly the aerial scenes. See it in a theater, if you ever have the opportunity.

,

LKB