Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 684093 times)

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1700 on: December 15, 2017, 02:04:14 PM »
The Last Jedi
* * * ½

The last hour is the best last hour of a blockbuster since Aliens, except for the final scene which strikes the completely wrong tone.

I will now be spending the next weeks in the Spoiler Thread where my love for this film will die the death of a thousand nitpicks.

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1701 on: December 15, 2017, 02:53:28 PM »
I'm guessing Children of Men doesn't qualify as a blockbuster, but does Mad Max: Fury Road?

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1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1702 on: December 15, 2017, 04:22:28 PM »
It does and I stand by my statement. We’re so used to blockbusters wearing out their welcome by shooting the works and endlessly trying to top themselves in the 3rd Act with more epic epicness. The Last Jedi evokes several grand stages, piled on top of each other, firmly grounded by the unknown destinies of characters we care about. Fury Road is a straight shot. Last Jedi is multiple courses.

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1703 on: December 15, 2017, 04:43:20 PM »
So what's the second best last hour of a blockbuster since Aliens? (I'm assuming you haven't seen the new Junanji movie yet.)

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goodguy

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1704 on: December 15, 2017, 05:25:40 PM »
The Last Jedi
* * * ½

The last hour is the best last hour of a blockbuster since Aliens, ...

That's a big promise. Even Bahubali 2 and Valerian, which were by far the blockbusters I liked most this year, let me down during the last hour.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1705 on: December 15, 2017, 07:53:36 PM »
So what's the second best last hour of a blockbuster since Aliens? (I'm assuming you haven't seen the new Junanji movie yet.)

pixote
I don't really have an answer for that. One of my impressions of Aliens is that the first half there is a lack of Aliens, but Cameron makes up for that with a back half that's all Aliens all the time. Because of the character and world building of the first half, the last hour works as a non-stop roller coaster because I'm heavily invested in the lives of everyone. The Last Jedi works in much the same way. I was expecting a slow first half, especially with all the scenes on the island, but I thought all of that was surprisingly well-paced. Then we get to... that point where everyone is facing a climactic decision and it had me excited at every location. And then there's the final planet, which doesn't feel like a tacked-on 4th Act, but a natural continuation of the excitement, with new crossroads for the characters.

Gun to my head, I go back to Cameron because he's the master of the 3rd Act. So maybe the final hour of Titanic would be next. There are good finales, like Hot Fuzz and The Matrix, but they don't go on nearly this long. Rise of the Planet of the Apes has a great 3rd Act, but I bet it's only 20 minutes.

I agree with goodguy, too many blockbusters falter in the final hour. I'm looking squarely at Marvel here. Winter Soldier is my favorite from them, but all the best stuff doesn't include the finale. Same with Spider-Man Homecoming.

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1706 on: December 15, 2017, 08:01:28 PM »
Ah, okay. Are "multiple courses" a prerequisite here, or is that something that just earns bonus points for you, especially in the context of a blockbuster? Like, Independence Day obviously) fits the mold of the kind of thing you're talking about, but maybe Die Hard doesn't because the main interest is so tied to whatever John is doing (as opposed to Argyle, etc.)?

I was half-expecting your answer to be another Cameron film, but T2: Judgment Day was the one that came to mind.

Two Towers would be up there for me.

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« Last Edit: December 15, 2017, 08:03:15 PM by pixote »
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1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1707 on: December 15, 2017, 09:26:51 PM »
Ah, okay. Are "multiple courses" a prerequisite here, or is that something that just earns bonus points for you, especially in the context of a blockbuster?
No. The prerequisite is how long can you sustain an action sequence or series of sequences without a breather scene like the one in Fury Road where Max comes up with the plan to go back. It's the ability to keep me invested through the fights and explosions.

I considered Two Towers. Definitely one that approaches this level.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1708 on: December 16, 2017, 04:45:28 PM »
You guys are going to love the new Star Wars movie! (Though I'm sure some will hate it :( )

Anything more to add?

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1709 on: December 16, 2017, 07:40:59 PM »
The Shape of Water (2017)

This is the crowd-pleasing piece of interspecies erotica the world didn't realize it needed. By its plot (and given its relative explicitness), this would seem like an outré film that would divide audiences. But for my packed screening (admittedly an arthouse, and the only screen in my major metropolitan area showing the film this week) was hanging on its every turn, such that by the end there was that kind of vocal participation that might otherwise annoy a viewer, and ending in applause when the credits rolled.

Now, I could tell you what I saw in the film, but part of me wants to picture what it was like to watch for the two very young girls (like 3 and 6?) that the guy next to me brought with him. Now, let me be clear, even as someone with a questionable sense of age appropriateness I am fairly confident one should not bring a pre-teen to this film. It is quite a hard R with language, violence and sexuality/nudity. But while I might be a little concerned, I reckon somewhere in their subconscious, the film's centering of Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and her sexual desire. Early on it is established that she has a pre-work "bathing ritual" and as the relationship with the amphibious man develops, we see pleasure and joy, not shame or guilt, not judgment, even if a bit of curiosity. Single-digits is young in the totality of it, but if you asked me if I'd let or want a teenage daughter to watch this I'd say "hell yeah!"

It is a film that wears the attire of so many brands of genre cinema, sci-fi, spy, heist, but at its heart it is a romance worthy of the AFI 100 Passions list. And it might just be worthy of my Top 100 list.

 

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