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Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Another thing I love about Se7en is how you can't tell which city the story takes place in.
It kinda feels Midwest or east coast.....Philly... Pittsburgh...maybe Chicago or Cleveland. All the rain.... Seattle.
It was filmed in Los Angeles.
It does not have an LA vibe whatsoever.
It always felt east coast to me. I always thought it was set in Phily/NYC. But the film never actually states where it is. Which kinda leads to the appeal that yes, this shit could happen ANYWHERE, USA.
The problem w/Netflix is that to me they have zero shit outside of their TV series, which are fucking middling at this point. They have a few interesting movies but not enough to justify the cost.
I've been watching some Showtime series called Yellowjackets. It's set in 96 but shifts forward to 2021 (present day) as well. It's interesting enough.
True Romance: watched this the other day. Not bad, pretty fun. Great cast involved. Including Pitt who plays a hilarious stoner (sorry it's 420).
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Snowtown - About the Snowtown murders in Australia. Crazy fucking story. I liked it but it really drags in the first act. Took way too long to get the story moving along. Once it's obvious what's going to happen...get down to business.
Started watching some Maude season 1 episodes. I was telling my uncle how crazy it is we're as old as Maude and Vivian on this show. That's frightening.
I don't like being old...I turned 48 today....but I guess the alternative is worse.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
The Last Matinee. Horror/slasher film from Uruguay. Proof that not all bad modern films come from the USA. This one bored the shit out of me. Quite a feat considering it's run time is only roughly 80 mins long. All style and no substance. I mean it LOOKS GOOD. The problem here is that there weren't enough characters to kill here. I know that sounds odd. But some of the kills are spaced out. Well and in between that you get these scenes of banal conversation. If you're going to set this in a theater/cinema , you'd better go for the gonzo/full chaos/pandemonium (like Demons) or make me give a shit about some of the characters. This did neither.
As I grow older, I realize that these are the types of movies that annoy me the most. The ones that are truly boring. At least with a bad movie, it evokes some sort of emotion. This one I was checking how long was left in the movie every 5-10 mins it seemed.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Air - This has to be a movie of the year contender. Loved the intro with footage from 1984...and they did an amazing job making the film feel like it's really taking place in 84.
The Black Phone - Finally got around to watching this. Pretty damn good...a different spin on the genre. Considering the fact it revolves around getting phone calls from dead kids, I think it was a bit much to have the young sister have dreams/visions.
Please don't do a sequel to this. Completely unnecessary.
My Cousin Vinny - A stone cold classic.
I think I watch this every few years or so....and each time I watch it...the more I wish they had done that sequel.
The cast has such great chemistry.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Barbarian - Finally got around to watching this...one of the hyped horror films last year.
It does not deserve its 93% rating.
It deserves kudos for trying something different. I'll always welcome that in the genre.
I didn't really like the way the story is edited to explain how this takes place(it's divided into three parts basically)....and I would've preferred a better explanation.
I also didn't like the female lead.
It's almost guaranteed this gets a prequel.
Full Metal Jacket - Ever since watching this for the first time back in the day, I think I say the same thing...
It feels like two movies in one....the first half a masterpiece, the second...not a masterpiece. In fact, I lose interest when the Vietnam story kicks in. The cast doesn't really gel at that point, and there's not really much of a story to tell either. It feels like it's just leading up to the female sniper for shock value.
I found out Anthony Michael Hall was supposed to be Joker. Kubrick handed the role to him on a platter but he wanted too much money.
What an idiot.
Val Kilmer also auditioned for the role.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
The Black Phone - Finally got around to watching this. Pretty damn good...a different spin on the genre. Considering the fact it revolves around getting phone calls from dead kids, I think it was a bit much to have the young sister have dreams/visions.
Please don't do a sequel to this. Completely unnecessary.
I didn't mind that little contrivance. I thought they should have gave the killer's brother a little more time though. It does nail the late 70s vibe pretty good, I think it's set in 78 but might be wrong.
Donnie Darko. I've never seen this before. And it turns out to be pretty interesting. I did find the time travel stuff kind of distracting and maybe uneccesary. I have no idea what to think about the ending. Probably requires a second viewing. I watched the 113 min theatrical cut.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Was house-sitting for someone this past week. Watched a bunch of movies...
Scent of A Woman - Hadnt watched this in 30 years. It wasn't as bad as I remembered it. Pacino does a pretty good job...bur I still say Clint deserved the Best Actor Oscar for Unforgiven.
One problem it has is the film is way too long for the story it's telling. They could've easily cut 30-40 minutes.
One surprise is how minor Gabrielle Anwar's role really was. They set the bar real low to give her It Girl status....she's in the film for 5 minutes and also received fourth billing!
I kept expecting her to reappear after the Tango scene....she doesn't.
Clerks 3 - Garbage...pure garbage. Never should've been made. Not even remotely funny.
Saw 2 - Back in the day this was considered one of the best entries in the franchise. I didn't really like it...I'm starting to think this series may not hold up now that it's been almost 20 years.
Killing Them Softly - I'm pretty sure I watched this one or two years ago. One of Pitts best movies.I would've liked a sequel.
The Wolf of Wall Street - This is probably Leo's best film...and one of Scorsese's best as well.
The Courier - How did this fly under my radar? A Cold War thriller...we don't get movies like this anymore.
First Blood - Pretty damn good but kinda fizzles out towards the end when he gets back to town. I wish Stallone would release this with the original ending.
9 to 5 -I hadn't watched this since the 80s when my grandma watched it all the time. Not bad...has some funny scenes....but Dolly steals every scene she's in.
Hard to believe this was one of the biggest hits of 1980. A different world....today it wouldn't go any further than either a Lifetime movie or a Netflix exclusive.
Delores Claiborne - I liked it...this is when Jennifer Jason Leigh was still a hot commodity. As I mentioned before...these types of big budget 1990s dramas are starting to have the feel of a Lifetime movie in hindsight.
The Pianist -One of the best Holocaust movies.
Absolute Power - I liked it but it definitely has some faults. It needs either a bit of trimming or some more action.
Beautiful Boy - This had the potential to be amazing. It falls far short of that. It's about the aftermath of a mass shooting at a college from the killer's parents POV.
It runs in place for way too long.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
There are independent movies out there. Usually art movies, horror and comedies. Clint Eastwood is the only guy I know who makes "Hollywood movies". That's why I love stuff like Absolute Power so much. On the surface it looks like your typical thriller, but you notice the little quirks and lack of production values that reveal it as an independent effort. There is purity in Clint's approach. Where Hollywood tries to make a movie yes, at least back then, they are a machine with committees and agendas. All of that tend to interfere in the process. With Clint it's just Clint making the decisions. Kinda like how De Palma tries to make a better Hitchcok movie, Clint tries to make a better Hollywood movie. And when he succeeds the result is really good.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Maybe that's why The Eiger Sanction is so wacky. It's a beautiful film... especially the training scenes....but there's something missing.
Watch that film...and then imagine how it would be if Tom Cruise remade it.
On the other hand...there's something unique about a more realistic approach to assassinations on a mountain. Yes it lacks action...but you can picture it happening.
If Tom Cruise is on that mountain, we get an over choreographed fight sequence and him jumping off the peak with no parachute...
I'm gonna have to watch it again.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Maybe that's why The Eiger Sanction is so wacky. It's a beautiful film... especially the training scenes....but there's something missing.
Watch that film...and then imagine how it would be if Tom Cruise remade it.
On the other hand...there's something unique about a more realistic approach to assassinations on a mountain. Yes it lacks action...but you can picture it happening.
If Tom Cruise is on that mountain, we get an over choreographed fight sequence and him jumping off the peak with no parachute...
I'm gonna have to watch it again.
The training parts are some my favorite scenes in that movie. They are like in Arizona and he's training and chasing some hot chick who is in fatigues. I think she ended up being his love interest in the film.
There's something about the realism of films in the 70s and 80s that resonates with us more (we are all around the same age group) than the slick shit that has taken over modern cinema. It totally sucks me out of the film when they do that choreagraphed stuff.
I often wonder if a different ending would have been better. It's kind of a deflater for me. I'm totally into like maybe the first 30-40 mins then it just loses me. But the concept itself, especially in the 70s, and this isn't some James Bond stuff, is really intriguing. I think the Killer Elite with James Caan might be similar but it suffers from bloat too and is also overlong.
There are independent movies out there. Usually art movies, horror and comedies. Clint Eastwood is the only guy I know who makes "Hollywood movies". That's why I love stuff like Absolute Power so much. On the surface it looks like your typical thriller, but you notice the little quirks and lack of production values that reveal it as an independent effort. There is purity in Clint's approach. Where Hollywood tries to make a movie yes, at least back then, they are a machine with committees and agendas. All of that tend to interfere in the process. With Clint it's just Clint making the decisions. Kinda like how De Palma tries to make a better Hitchcok movie, Clint tries to make a better Hollywood movie. And when he succeeds the result is really good.
I have to rewatch Absolute Power because I read the book and really liked it. The movie was kind of long and had some dead spots like Lofton noted. It didn't help that I enjoyed the Wesley Snipes film, Murder at 1600 which dealt with a similar plot.
Anyway, yeah with Clint you can always tell there are some "independent touches" there that set it apart. Yeah, it's Hollywood but it's not cookie cutter shit that bores. Mystic River is another really good film that doesn't get mentioned.
I don't think that Depalma should get compared to Hitchcock anyway. His films are easier to get into, and I've seen a TON of Hitchcock films. Plus there's always fun watching how he uses the camera. That one scene from Dressed to Kill has been copied a bunch of times (most notably Basic Instinct). One of my favorite modern De Palma's is Femme Fatale. Just a beautiful film. I even enjoyed the last one he made . I mean it wasn't prime De Palma but it was still fun and watchable.
