Last Movie You Watched

[DavidW]

It would be great if they had one commentary track showing how all the kitchy cliches reflected 1998 attitudes, and another track cataloging all the hundreds of scientific inaccuracies.

That movie is an abomination. Not only does it have a terrible plot, dialogue, and acting, but it was also SO LOUD. I watched it in the theater and walked out with a horrible headache. In fact, it was so loud that I remember reading complaints in newspapers.

Criterion used to represent arthouse indie films, but they have betrayed their vision to keep making money.

[relm1]

That movie is an abomination. Not only does it have a terrible plot, dialogue, and acting, but it was also SO LOUD. I watched it in the theater and walked out with a horrible headache. In fact, it was so loud that I remember reading complaints in newspapers.

Criterion used to represent arthouse indie films, but they have betrayed their vision to keep making money.

Totally agree.  When the title of that film came up a posts back, my initial thought was "loud" and "dumb" but hey, it's a Michael Bay film.

[LKB]

Totally agree.  When the title of that film came up a posts back, my initial thought was "loud" and "dumb" but hey, it's a Michael Bay film.

Well, here's how l see it.

Remastering/restoring films which are sure to generate a return is simply good business. And if it is bringing in revenue which is also being used to put out titles which actually matter, then so much the better.

Now, if things get to the point where it's only crap like Armageddon coming from Criterion, that would truly be a shame as a top-quality source of consumer releases will have been subverted into irrelevance.

[Karl Henning]

Remastering/restoring films which are sure to generate a return is simply good business. And if it is bringing in revenue which is also being used to put out titles which actually matter, then so much the better.

Indeed, this is practically a traditional model for endeavors where Art and Entertainment overlap.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Somewhere upthread I mentioned being disappointed to find they'd chosen to do an edition of Armageddon.


Last movie watched: a National Theatre Live screening of an adaptation of Chekov's Uncle Vanya with Andrew Scott doing all the parts.

How did you like Uncle Vanya? That's one of my favorite plays.

[Madiel]

Not yet seen, but considering whether to try throwing any Ingmar Bergman films into my Scandinavian Film Festival package. They're showing several (along with all the newer stuff) but I worry I might not be in the mood.

[Karl Henning]

Now that you have brought this up, I do recall reading many moons ago that what we saw with Raymond Burr was a recut, Americanization of the original movie.

I've been watching Godzilla, King of the Monsters with the commentary. The commentary is richly illuming and the commentator (David Kalat, author of A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series) does not denigrate the Americanization at all. Fascinating info about Raymond Burr, and the brilliant piece of trivia that the voice actor dubbing both Ogata and Serizawa is James Hong. 

[Cato]

Did some pictures of John Carpenter's wife get deleted as inappropriate? I was going to add that Kurt Russell's first wife is also in it briefly near the start of the film:

How could Adrienne Barbeau ever be considered inappropriate?!   

Not yet seen, but considering whether to try throwing any Ingmar Bergman films into my Scandinavian Film Festival package. They're showing several (along with all the newer stuff) but I worry I might not be in the mood.

My vote would be for Hour of the Wolf !

[Madiel]

My vote would be for Hour of the Wolf

Not one of the offerings in the festival. They're doing ones with Liv Ullmann in them, but not that one. Anyway, I've decided against trying to see any of them in this setting. One day I'll try watching some Bergmann at home.

[Karl Henning]

I've been watching Godzilla, King of the Monsters with the commentary. The commentary is richly illuming and the commentator (David Kalat, author of A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series) does not denigrate the Americanization at all. Fascinating info about Raymond Burr, and the brilliant piece of trivia that the voice actor dubbing both Ogata and Serizawa is James Hong.

Now as to this 8-disc Criterion edition. My intention was just to watch the original. I'm now curious enough to give Godzilla Raids Again (and how can that be since they killed him with a jumbo Alka-Seltzer tablet at the end of the first movie? I don't know if I proceed past that. I certainly do not see me taking in all eight discs.

[Cato]

Now as to this 8-disc Criterion edition. My intention was just to watch the original. I'm now curious enough to give Godzilla Raids Again (and how can that be since they killed him with a jumbo Alka-Seltzer tablet at the end of the first movie? I don't know if I proceed past that. I certainly do not see me taking in all eight discs.

Oh, in Hollywood, or Tokyo, there is always a way around Death!  😇


Recently...


Whale Rider




Fun movie!

[Karl Henning]

Oh, in Hollywood, or Tokyo, there is always a way around Death!  😇

Turns out to be another tyrannosaurid, and an Ankylosaurus to boot. That H-bomb testing seems to have released a whole bevy of dinosaurs.

[Cato]

Turns out to be another tyrannosaurid, and an Ankylosaurus to boot. That H-bomb testing seems to have released a whole bevy of dinosaurs.

In the 1950's, radiation and fallout could do all sorts of stuff! 

One of the great ironies of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's novel Cancer Ward is that the doctors are "curing" cancerous tumors with large blasts of radiation.

The tumors do indeed disappear.

But then the radiation has induced even worse cancers, killing the previously cured patients.

[Karl Henning]

In the 1950's, radiation and fallout could do all sorts of stuff! 

One of the great ironies of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's novel Cancer Ward is that the doctors are "curing" cancerous tumors with large blasts of radiation.

The tumors do indeed disappear.

But then the radiation has induced even worse cancers, killing the previously cured patients.

I think I mustn't "like" your post for medical reasons.

[Karl Henning]

Godzilla Raids Again

About a quarter of the way through, I'm not feeling much motivation to keep with it. I may, though. Different composer, 
not that this is the issue. The music for the final scene of the divers bringing what they hope will be death to the creature was especially affecting. And I should have missed that if I just carried on not thinking much of the project.

[DavidW]

I went to the movie theater today as I've been trying to get out of the house to do something each day this week.

I saw an intense horror movie. It was disturbing, visually stunning, and nightmarish. It builds towards the end instead of relying on jump scares. I don't know if I was in the right state of mind for it, but I certainly was not in the mood for superheroes or children's movies today.

[Karl Henning]

About a quarter of the way through, I'm not feeling much motivation to keep with it. I may, though. Different composer,
not that this is the issue. The music for the final scene of the divers bringing what they hope will be death to the creature was especially affecting. And I should have missed that if I just carried on not thinking much of the project.

Cannot help thinking that the ankylosaur looks rather like an inverted hair brush. Okay, I've made it halfway, I'll stick with it. It's less Godzilla raiding and more the two monsters struggling, and Osaka is laid waste as a result. 

[Cato]

Cannot help thinking that the ankylosaur looks rather like an inverted hair brush.

  

Later you get Gamera, the giant turtle with jet engines! 

[Karl Henning]

I've been watching Godzilla, King of the Monsters with the commentary. The commentary is richly illuming and the commentator (David Kalat, author of A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series) does not denigrate the Americanization at all. Fascinating info about Raymond Burr, and the brilliant piece of trivia that the voice actor dubbing both Ogata and Serizawa is James Hong.

"In a cyclonic cavalcade of electrifying horror."

[LKB]

 

Later you get Gamera, the giant turtle with jet engines! 

I remember Gamera. I wonder if a jet- powered turtle might have inspired the creation of a certain racing snail...

https://youtu.be/IN02NqddSCk?si=H_it9PJ3sWH9H2OU