Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 684367 times)

philip918

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2400 on: May 29, 2018, 12:50:43 PM »
Inspired by the 80's All Over podcast I'm catching up on some huge films I still haven't seen:

Broadcast News (1987)

Other than an ending I found quite stilted, I really loved everything else about this. Holly Hunter is a national treasure and is perfect here. The love triangle with Albert Brooks and William Hurt is terrific. The theme of the news slipping into pandering entertainment seems, sadly, very quaint these days. James L. Brooks comedic sensibility is so all-encompassing. It can be incredibly heartfelt, ruthlessly satirical, and super idiosyncratic. I laughed so hard at the two young guys pitching their take on a new nightly news theme song. I want to make that my ring tone. This basically feels like the story and comedy template The Simpsons would follow so successfully for decades to come.

Raising Arizona (1987)

So, Holly Hunter had an all-time great year in 1987. If I have any problem with this movie is that she could be in more of it. One of the few Coen Brothers films I still hadn't seen, and it's thrilling to watch their take on a screwball comedy. The energy and inventiveness of the camera work is incredible. John Goodman crawling out of the mud is one of the greatest things I've ever seen on screen. No one has ever used an actor better.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

I went in to this one with the most trepidation. I'm not a big John Belushi fan and Animal House is an iconic comedy that really didn't work for me at all. Luckily, this was a blast from start to finish. Such a cinematic experience, which so many comedies fail to even attempt. Belushi silhouetted as the prison gates open. The nun at the top of her crooked stairs. Best of all, is the tribute to a host of outstanding musicians, and particularly, giving them the spotlight because Akroyd and Belushi understand they would just be getting in the way of James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Cab Calloway. The amount of vehicular mayhem is staggering. Landis really pushes the limits on these set pieces (and it's all too easy to see how this went too far on The Twilight Zone).

All great films that struck a chord and I'm sure I'll revisit often.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2401 on: May 30, 2018, 12:39:55 AM »
Junior, you've left me with no point of debate. I read it all and agree.


philip918, you mentioned the stilted ending to Broadcast News. What about the beginning? Something that always didn't sit right with me was bookending the film with both a preface and a postscript.

Also, did the vehicular mayhem in Blues Brothers ever seem dated to you? It's real easy to make car crashes boring real quick, but I find that Landis puts so much energy into those parts of this film that these metal behemoths become masterful devices of slapstick.

pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2402 on: May 30, 2018, 12:46:07 AM »
philip918, you mentioned the stilted ending to Broadcast News. What about the beginning?

I've only ever seen the first 10-15 minutes of Broadcast News, which didn't seem to match the movie I'd heard so much hype about. Maybe I'll give it another try some day. [checks to see if it's still alive in the 80s US bracket]

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DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2403 on: May 30, 2018, 03:44:53 AM »
I have now watched Solo and I liked it. Still wish they'd stop doing prequels and start telling new stories with these anthology movies though.

@Junior: K2SO is best droid. Ain't no one got nothing on Alan Tudyk.

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philip918

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2404 on: May 30, 2018, 10:57:58 AM »
Junior, you've left me with no point of debate. I read it all and agree.


philip918, you mentioned the stilted ending to Broadcast News. What about the beginning? Something that always didn't sit right with me was bookending the film with both a preface and a postscript.

Also, did the vehicular mayhem in Blues Brothers ever seem dated to you? It's real easy to make car crashes boring real quick, but I find that Landis puts so much energy into those parts of this film that these metal behemoths become masterful devices of slapstick.

Yeah, I agree with you on the opening scenes as well. The bookends don't really add anything interesting or essential and I think the film would be stronger without them.

The mall chase in Blues Brothers actually did get a little tedious, but the big chase near the end worked like gangbusters. In the mall there were a lot of shots of cars just plowing into things for no apparent reason - which, I suppose, is part of the silliness - I think it just went on a bit longer than necessary.

The scale of The Blues Brothers was really something. The hundreds of police officers and National Guardsmen surrounding the building was thrilling to watch. It's something that digital compositing just can't come close to capturing.

Junior

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2405 on: May 30, 2018, 11:48:05 AM »
I have now watched Solo and I liked it. Still wish they'd stop doing prequels and start telling new stories with these anthology movies though.

@Junior: K2SO is best droid. Ain't no one got nothing on Alan Tudyk.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a prequel. See Godfather Part II for proof number one.

I am interested in what everybody's favorite droid is. Would anybody pick R2D2 or C3PO?

Junior, you've left me with no point of debate. I read it all and agree.

I am glad that we're back on track here. Been a while.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2018, 11:49:38 AM by Junior »
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DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2406 on: May 30, 2018, 12:17:31 PM »
I have now watched Solo and I liked it. Still wish they'd stop doing prequels and start telling new stories with these anthology movies though.

@Junior: K2SO is best droid. Ain't no one got nothing on Alan Tudyk.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a prequel. See Godfather Part II for proof number one.

I am interested in what everybody's favorite droid is. Would anybody pick R2D2 or C3PO

Let's find out!
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philip918

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2407 on: May 30, 2018, 06:28:08 PM »
Real Life (1979)

Albert Brooks debut feature is ambitious as hell and largely successful. First and foremost, his predictions for the future of reality television are ridiculously accurate. He gets how it will be formatted and even the smaller digital cameras that will be necessary to film it. My absolute favorite element in the movie are his helmet cameras. Every single time one of the camera operatives entered the frame it made me laugh. The look is so singular and silly they continued to be an effective comedic device to the very end of the film. Brooks himself dives into playing a truly craven, narcissistic weasel. But it's so rooted in insecurity that it's easy to go along for the ride.

My qualms with the film is that there's way too much behind the scenes with the psychologists from the institute and not nearly enough going on with the family. The children aren't even really characters at all. Grodin is exceptional at playing awkwardly to the cameras and Frances Lee McCain seems ready to tear into a part that simply doesn't give her enough to do.

philip918

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2408 on: May 31, 2018, 11:56:13 AM »
Annihilation (2018)

This was a bummer, because I was very excited to finally see this, but very little worked for me. The characters never popped. The relationships really didn't have much meaning. The world itself felt very shallow and underdeveloped. I hated the storytelling framework of the present-day interrogation and numerous stilted flashbacks. And then simply scene by scene the filmmaking failed to convey any sense of wonder, dread, or suspense. The ending felt like a cheat based on everything that happened before.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #2409 on: June 01, 2018, 08:31:48 AM »
How to Talk to Girls at Parties

I'll just say it.

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