Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Well, yes, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen again.

[Autumn Leaves]

Well, yes, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen again.

I went to see this one on the big screen when it was released but I can't remember much about it now.
Like a lot of people here, I do love Terry Gilliam's movies (Brazil and 12 Monkeys are particularly good and I have a soft spot for Time Bandits as well).
Have you seen Baron munchausen many times Karl? - I rememeber it got panned a bit by the critics when it was released but I'd like to see it again at some stage.
What other Gilliam do you rate highly or would recommend?.

[Karl Henning]

I went to see this one on the big screen when it was released but I can't remember much about it now.
Like a lot of people here, I do love Terry Gilliam's movies (Brazil and 12 Monkeys are particularly good and I have a soft spot for Time Bandits as well).
Have you seen Baron munchausen many times Karl? - I rememeber it got panned a bit by the critics when it was released but I'd like to see it again at some stage.
What other Gilliam do you rate highly or would recommend?.

I did see it on the big screen Back When, too!  I've got the blu-ray disc, and I have watched it several times.

My other favorite Gilliam films (while I do really enjoy all that I have seen) are The Fisher King and Twelve Monkeys.

[Autumn Leaves]

I did see it on the big screen Back When, too!  I've got the blu-ray disc, and I have watched it several times.

My other favorite Gilliam films (while I do really enjoy all that I have seen) are The Fisher King and Twelve Monkeys.

Ahhh thats great Karl - I'll try and watch Baron Munchausen again as soon as I can. It's the only Gilliam movie I've seen, that I only watched the 1 time.
Thanks for reminding me about The Fisher King! - I do miss Robin Williams and this was one of his best movies I think.

[TheGSMoeller]

The Fisher King

Always been a personal favorite, Karl, and quite possibly Gilliam's most emotional film. The scene in the restaurant is amazing, instantly shifting from comedic chaos to a calm beauty when Robin Williams begins singing the "Lydia Song".

[Karl Henning]

Let's rummage!

[Todd]

Blade Runner 2049.  Visually magnificent, surpassing the original in some regards, not least in scale, the film overall is not quite up to Ridley Scott's film, but it comes much closer than anticipated.  Sci-fi influences are obvious: in addition to the first movie, one can see A.I. Artificial Intelligence (and through it, Pinocchio), some 2001, some Star Wars sequels, some Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and others.  The film also offers a master class in product placement, both of firms long gone and currently thriving ones.  The movie ties directly to the original in its storyline, with the first big reveal rather obvious.  The plot twist is also obvious by the time it finally arrives.  Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford both do good enough work, and Ana de Armas is a joy to watch.  Denis Villeneuve's visual mastery makes the film's not inconsiderable length quite manageable, though it will be interesting to see if it holds up as well on the small screen.  (I made it a point to see it on the largest screen in two states.)  Denis Villeneuve might be able to do something good with the Dune remake he is directing.

While watching a few scenes, it became clear that the theater had the sub-woofers set to too high a level; some low frequency bursts physically moved the screen, resulting in slightly blurred images at peak SPLs. 

[Karl Henning]

So, yes, over two evenings I re-watched The Fisher King.

[aligreto]

Our Souls in the Night....





A great story and both Redford and Fonda are wonderful in this very heartwarming human interest story.

[James]

I saw Blade Runner 2049. I liked it. The visuals are really stunnig, I may rewatch it just for that. The script was fine... a bit too round shaped... I would have liked a bit of the mystery and open endedness of the first one... as well as some of its poetry. Definitely the best sci fi film in a long while... quite refreshing to feel some of the 80s really good stuff again.

I watched it the other night in IMAX. It was a letdown ... too slow, too long, I didn't care for any of the characters or what happened. I left the theater thinking nothing of it, it wasn't even that 'entertaining'. The climaxes were blah. The performances were flat, Gosling was not good at all, no charisma, very deadpan, too relaxed. Harrison should just retire, the passion is gone. And visually .. it just essentially apes everything already imagined and realized in the first Blade Runner movie (which is a greater and greater looking film done over 30 years ago), the look, the atmosphere, all those panoramic geography shots etc. The music was sub par. Overall, not the worst film, but nothing great or powerful, just way over hyped. This thing didn't look like it's supposed 150 million dollar budget at all either. I've seen films which cost a quarter of that and surpass the look of this thing by light years.

[aleazk]

Blade Runner 2049.  Visually magnificent, surpassing the original in some regards, not least in scale, the film overall is not quite up to Ridley Scott's film, but it comes much closer than anticipated.  Sci-fi influences are obvious: in addition to the first movie, one can see A.I. Artificial Intelligence (and through it, Pinocchio), some 2001, some Star Wars sequels, some Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and others.  The film also offers a master class in product placement, both of firms long gone and currently thriving ones.  The movie ties directly to the original in its storyline, with the first big reveal rather obvious.  The plot twist is also obvious by the time it finally arrives.  Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford both do good enough work, and Ana de Armas is a joy to watch.  Denis Villeneuve's visual mastery makes the film's not inconsiderable length quite manageable, though it will be interesting to see if it holds up as well on the small screen.  (I made it a point to see it on the largest screen in two states.)  Denis Villeneuve might be able to do something good with the Dune remake he is directing.

While watching a few scenes, it became clear that the theater had the sub-woofers set to too high a level; some low frequency bursts physically moved the screen, resulting in slightly blurred images at peak SPLs.

Great! Pretty much my same impression.

[aleazk]

I watched it the other night in IMAX. It was a letdown ... too slow, too long, I didn't care for any of the characters or what happened. I left the theater thinking nothing of it, it wasn't even that 'entertaining'. The climaxes were blah. The performances were flat, Gosling was not good at all, no charisma, very deadpan, too relaxed. Harrison should just retire, the passion is gone. And visually .. it just essentially apes everything already imagined and realized in the first Blade Runner movie (which is a greater and greater looking film done over 30 years ago), the look, the atmosphere, all those panoramic geography shots etc. The music was sub par. Overall, not the worst film, but nothing great or powerful, just way over hyped. This thing didn't look like it's supposed 150 million dollar budget at all either. I've seen films which cost a quarter of that and surpass the look of this thing by light years.

Well, considering your opinion is pretty much the complete opposite to mine, I see no point in discussing it, since that will lead nowhere. Best regards.

[Karl Henning]

Well, considering your opinion is pretty much the complete opposite to mine, I see no point in discussing it, since that will lead nowhere. Best regards.

For perspective:  he thinks Mozart is mediocre, too.

[James]

For perspective:  he thinks Mozart is mediocre, too.

But Bach who came before him is soooo much better.

[LKB]

Currently grinding my way through The Interview. I can only tolerate about twenty minutes at a time as most of it ( so far ) is dreck, imho. But as l understand, the film ends in a way which will satisfy a current emotional need, so l shall persevere.

Grimly determined,

LKB

[LKB]

Finished The Interview. Can't say l could honestly recommend it, though it improves somewhat after the halfway mark. Oh, and the dog was cute.

Now l shall reward my perseverance by viewing Dances with Wolves. 

Relieved,

LKB

[LKB]

I don't much care for toilet humor, which is where ( imho ) The Interview expends too much time and energy. Considering the people involved, l suppose that isn't surprising. I was curious more than anything, and at least now l can voice an informed opinion... But I'll be perfectly content never to watch it again. 

If you can tolerate a large portion of gratuitous puerile humor and don't have to pay anything, l suppose it does have a few minutes with some limited value. But nearly everything the film attempts to do could have been done better, in every aspect of its production. If l had to grade it, maybe a C- at best.

How wonderful it is to have truly great and memorable films at hand as an antidote! Within a few feet are bluray copies of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, The Sound of Music, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Iron Giant, My Life as a Dog, Airplane...

Yeah, I'll survive The Interview. 

Whew,

LKB

[SimonNZ]

I don't much care for toilet humor

Airplane...

[Brian]

In the category of "goofy American comedies about assassinating foreign dictators," The Interview places above Zoolander, in my book. (I once watched them back-to-back.)

[Karl Henning]

The other night, I watched John Carpenter's Halloween (sic) – so I'm a word-nerd, and really like the apostrophe in Hallowe'en – and on Facebook, I commented on the scene at the time, that Jamie Lee Curtis was doing a lot of screaming, which is neither drama nor suspense, but just noise. (And I stand by that quarrel.) I also could not help responding to the begging-believability elements, like the hysterical baby-sitter succeeding in fending off a powerful and irrational assailant, with a bent coat-hanger.

Well, I wanted to report/clarify here that those quarrels notwithstanding, I am aware of watching it 40 years later, with all the semi-awareness (including the fact that it spawned sequels and imitations galore . . . looks like the "complete collection" is 10 blu discs), so from arguably something of a skeptical viewpoint.  Not a viewpoint set in stone.

So, I watched the Halloween Unmasked 2000 featurette, and learnt that it was shot in 22 days and on a budget of $300K.  I've got to acknowledge it as a work of genius.  Under those circumstances, all my quibbles with the screamplay, erm, screenplay pretty much vanish in the light of its unadorned virtues.  Jamie Lee Curtis stated (which did affirm an idea which was forming in the back of my mind) that it was pretty much her best dramatic role until True Lies (don't mistake me, I love her performance in A Fish Called Wanda, but I don't think Wanda is quite as well-etched a character as Laurie).  And Carpenter's scoring is a tour-de-force.

And, of course, it both launched a movie career for Jamie Lee Curtis, and Carpenter's directing career . . . and I cannot help feeling that The Thing, Escape From New York, and, why yes, even Big Trouble in Little China fulfilled the promise.

I'm still disappointed with Escape From L.A.  But hell, if anyone 10 years ago had told me that I should be a John Carpenter advocate . . . .