Last Movie You Watched

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Mark of Zorro, The (1940) w/ Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, & Basil Rathbone - this is one of my favorite films and have owned from a VHS tape through a regular DVD, and now a BD - the restoration is an improvement - if you are a fan, then a recommended upgrade!  Dave

The only Zorro movie I've seen is 1998 Mask of Zorro which I liked very much. Always wanted to see Mark of Zorro, though. Even Don Rosa made references to this movie in his comics.

[Bogey]

For the rest of the evening, I decided to watch a few early John Wayne films in my collection:

The Big Trail (1930) w/ a young Wayne - watching the 2.10 aspect ratio rarity for the era - decent restoration; some of the scenes are just spectacular, e.g. lowering the Conestoga wagons over a cliff w/ the animals - NOTHING CGI back then - this film is worth a watch and recommended!

Stagecoach (1939) w/ Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, John Carradine, & Thomas Mitchell - what did Wayne do for 9 years before his 'break through' film?  Excellent Criterion production - Dave

 

Stagecoach is an excellent film.  Its simplicity carries it.  As for The Big Trail,I've had that on my wishlist, but was not sure if it was worth the purchase, so thanks for the review, Dave.

[SonicMan46]

The only Zorro movie I've seen is 1998 Mask of Zorro which I liked very much. Always wanted to see Mark of Zorro, though. Even Don Rosa made references to this movie in his comics.

The film w/ Power is still one of the best, and a must see if you're a fan of Zorro!   Plus, the great Basil Rathbone - hard to beat the sword fighting between those two - finally the blu-ray restoration is quite good.  Dave

[SonicMan46]

Stagecoach is an excellent film.  Its simplicity carries it.  As for The Big Trail,I've had that on my wishlist, but was not sure if it was worth the purchase, so thanks for the review, Dave.

Bill - I probably first saw The Big Trial maybe 6-8 years ago and burned a DVD-R off the TCM channel, then bought the DVD, and now the BD - below the beginning paragraph from Blu-Ray Website, which is worth a read if contemplating a purchase, just $8 on Amazon.

What amazes me is that Wayne was just 23 y/o is this film, and only 3 year out from the silent film era - use of the 2.10 aspect ratio all combine to make seminal film making - plus, the dramatic panoramic scenes like the wagons being hoisted down the cliffs pre-CGI are astounding - not even sure if models were used?  If you catch the film on TV, then make sure it's the 'widescreen' version.  Dave

In 1930 American movie audiences were almost introduced to a brand new widescreen format that would have transformed the popular understanding of how movies looked, even while the public was still absorbing the notion of "talkies". The process known as "Fox Grandeur" used a 70mm frame and special cameras to show a 2.10:1 aspect ratio. If William Fox had succeeded in making it an industry standard, the history of both motion pictures and television might have unfolded very differently.

 

[NikF]

Bill - I probably first saw The Big Trial maybe 6-8 years ago and burned a DVD-R off the TCM channel, then bought the DVD, and now the BD - below the beginning paragraph from Blu-Ray Website, which is worth a read if contemplating a purchase, just $8 on Amazon.

What amazes me is that Wayne was just 23 y/o is this film, and only 3 year out from the silent film era - use of the 2.10 aspect ratio all combine to make seminal film making - plus, the dramatic panoramic scenes like the wagons being hoisted down the cliffs pre-CGI are astounding - not even sure if models were used?  If you catch the film on TV, then make sure it's the 'widescreen' version.  Dave

 

Yeah, that's really cool. I'd love to have seen Grandeur projected in a cinema.

[James]

Jacob's Ladder
1990 ‧ Thriller/Drama ‧ 2 hours

After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña), and ex-wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember), try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis (Danny Aiello), fails to reach him as he descends into madness.

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[TheGSMoeller]

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[asin]B003TRMLM6[/asin]

I see a trend here.

[Drasko]

so-so

[SonicMan46]

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) w/ Ben Affleck as Batman & Henry Cavill as Superman; also Amy Adams & Diane Lane - streamed the 'theatrical release' (i.e. 2 1/2 hrs) from Amazon last night - image below shows the 'Utlimate Edition' (3 hrs) - ratings: 1) 6.9/10, IMDB; 2) 27% (4.9/10) from the critics, Rotten Tomatoes (3.6/5 from the audience); and 3) 3.3/5*, Amazon.  For me, one of the worst of 'super hero' movies of recent vintage, a hodgepodge mess of numerous and often confusing storylines, an overabundance of CGI specials to the point of boredom, and blatant destruction of much of a city - the length of the theatrical release was making me yawn, so the ultimate edition is not in my future viewing plans.  Variable ratings as stated previously w/ the film being 'canned' by the critics - and an unexpected ending which I'll not spoil - I'm w/ the critics on this one and in a stretch might do 2 1/2* on Amazon (between my 'dislike' & 'OK' categories) - only recommended to super hero fans who cannot miss seeing all of these movies.  Dave

[aligreto]

I really liked this one.

[The new erato]

The latest Jason Bourne. Mild disappointment. Weaker story, less intensity, compensated for by bigger explosions.

[Cato]

It took two days...

[asin]B008Y5OWMK[/asin]


I really wanted to like this movie, having seen it lionized in some of the obituaries of Cimino when he died some weeks ago.

The studio chiefs were not wrong to be upset: lurking within the 216 minutes    is a not bad movie, and many scenes are - visually - beautiful and even breath-taking.  But, yes, they go on for much too long, many scenes do little or even nothing to advance the story, and scenes which are compelling linger and linger with long silences, as if Cimino had seen too many German "art" movies from the 1970's* and thought: "That is the way to do things!"  The symbolism of the class warfare is simplistic and the villainous big ranchers are cartoon cut-outs.  John Hurt's character is undeveloped, except for being a cynical drunk.

And keep in mind that I like the 8-hour version of Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace.  0:)   So, yes, I found the movie just "not too bad," and only if one has great patience, and loves cinematography and scenery a little more than drama, should one consider the movie. 


* One example comes to mind: the title is lost forever, unfortunately.  A movie where practically nothing happened!  I was previewing it as a possibility for my German classes.  One scene in particular is illustrative: the camera follows a young woman into a lower-middle class apartment, and the camera stays in the hallway and focuses down the long passage into the kitchen. For a loooong time it stays there, while the girl makes a sandwich, and then disappears from the frame, makes noise of scooting a chair around, walks back into the frame, walks back out, rustles, coughs, goes to the refrigerator, sits back down out of the frame, etc. etc. etc.

That was a typical sequence, a stunt similar to Andy Warhol filming somebody sleeping.   

[Karl Henning]

Thanks for taking one for the team, Cato! 

[Cato]

Thanks for taking one for the team, Cato! 

Shucks, 'twarn't nuthin' !   

I should mention that Heaven's Gate also features Christopher Walken - in strange make-up - and of course it is always fun to watch him!

[listener]

another film by King Hu with 3 co-directors including Tsui Hark who is probably responsible for the computer SFX
THE SWORDSMAN (1990) 
Sam Hui, Cecilia Yip, Cheung Man and Jacky Cheung in it

[Jaakko Keskinen]

[Jaakko Keskinen]

[North Star]

Pickpocket (dir. Robert Bresson)

[Brian]

Man, Criterion has such strong graphic design.

[Drasko]