What movie did you last watch?

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  • Twes
    dennaB
    • Jul 2006
    • 2937

    Re: What movie did you last watch?

    Originally posted by avoidingtheclowns
    i assume the definition of "great" is where our worldviews fail to overlap. what movies do you consider "great"?
    Our world views don't overlap? What? This is the first I've heard of this.

    The classification of "great" is individual to all of us of course. But I'd say a great movie is one you'd buy because you would watch it again and again. Of course there's more to it than that. You might buy a Winnie the Pooh for your kid and watch it over again but it probably isn't a great movie.

    I'm usually looking for something different. NOT predictable. Rich characters. Interesting story etc. but well acted. Well made.

    One of my all time classics is Unforgiven because I loved that they let the movie play out how it did in the end. I didn't expect they would as I watched it at the time.

    To make a general statement it seems to me they are cranking out more and more mindless movies.
    You don't agree?
    Last edited by Twes; 07-24-2008, 04:03 PM.

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    • Twes
      dennaB
      • Jul 2006
      • 2937

      Re: What movie did you last watch?

      Originally posted by JayRedd
      You may be right. The 1990s are pretty tough to compare anything to though.

      Pulp Fiction, Schindler's List, Matrix, Fight Club, Private Ryan, Goodfellas, Casino, Se7en, Braveheart, T2, Unforgiven, Fargo, Forrest Gump, Silence of the Lambs, Lebowski, the Insider, Good Will Hunting.

      Those are basically all borderline perfect films and they are all mainstream for the most part. I'd agree that the great films of the 00s tend to be a little more off the radar.
      I think we all have to admit the sequal machine is out of control. The Matrix was a decent movie but I didn't need to see the sequals.

      The Rocky Rambo Die Hard and on and on is out of hand.

      I enjoyed most everything on your list. Some others I really liked were Man On Fire, The Edge and more recently The Departed.
      Last edited by Twes; 07-24-2008, 04:02 PM.

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      • Gyron
        Fear my small avatar
        • Jan 2004
        • 6358

        Re: What movie did you last watch?

        Do you mean Hannah Montana's First movie wasn't on your short list?????

        What about the Princess Diaries 2?????

        OMG!!!

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        • SycamoreKen
          Member
          • Jan 2004
          • 10749

          Re: What movie did you last watch?

          There are very few new ideas, just old ones repackaged. Of the list above how many were adapted from something else or were based on a true story?

          Of course how the idea is packaged is as important as the idea itself. As for the group you have not seen, I would rank them Potter, rings, and Pirates for origionality and story lines.

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          • avoidingtheclowns
            streets ahead
            • Jul 2006
            • 6118

            Re: What movie did you last watch?

            Originally posted by Twes
            Our world views don't overlap? What? This is the first I've heard of this.

            The classification of "great" is individual to all of us of course. But I'd say a great movie is one you'd buy because you would watch it again and again. Of course there's more to it than that. You might buy a Winnie the Pooh foir your kid and watch it over again but it probably isn't a great movie.

            I'm usually looking for something differant. NOT predictable. Rich characters. Interesting story etc. but well acted. Well made.

            To make a general statment it seems to me they are cranking out more and more mindless movies.
            You don't agree?
            i would say it is much easier to make films now than even ten years ago. i would also say that studios release more films into theaters than they once did. given the quantity over quality mantra, you're going to have more crap. but it also means there are more really good to great films being made as well. ultimately the marketplace is flooded with both so the impact or perceived greatness of each film is watered down simply by volume. a film like the departed, had it been released in 1995, may have made JayRedd's list for epic 90s films. but 10 years from now, when trying to list the greatest films from this decade who even knows if would make an epic films list.

            so while i'll agree that there aren't the same type of milemarker films as say the list JayRedd provided for the last decade, i think there just happen to be simply more product out there to search in.
            Last edited by avoidingtheclowns; 07-24-2008, 04:13 PM.
            This is the darkest timeline.

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            • Twes
              dennaB
              • Jul 2006
              • 2937

              Re: What movie did you last watch?

              Originally posted by avoidingtheclowns
              i would say it is much easier to make films now than even ten years ago. i would also say that studios release more films into theaters than they once did. given the quantity over quality mantra, you're going to have more crap. but it also means there are more really good to great films being made as well. ultimately the marketplace is flooded with both so the impact or perceived greatness of each film is watered down simply by volume. a film like the departed, had it been released in 1995, may have made JayRedd's list for epic 90s films.

              so while i'll agree that there aren't the same type of milemarker films as say the list JayRedd provided for the last decade, i think there just happen to be simply more product out there to search in.
              I hear you. But I'm not sure I completely agree. I agree the quantity is higher but I still say the number of quality movies is lower.

              Usually DVD releases are on Tuesdays right? I remember in the past most every Tuesday there would be big name movies, or movies I otherwise really want to see constantly being released. Now I may go months in between the next movie I give a damn about.

              There is another factor I recognize. I've seen a lot of movies. And I may no longer be connecting with current movies that in years past I might have just because you kind of get to where you've been there done that type thing. They all start to kind of look and feel the same.
              Last edited by Twes; 07-24-2008, 04:25 PM.

              Comment

              • Twes
                dennaB
                • Jul 2006
                • 2937

                Re: What movie did you last watch?

                Originally posted by SycamoreKen
                There are very few new ideas, just old ones repackaged. Of the list above how many were adapted from something else or were based on a true story?

                Of course how the idea is packaged is as important as the idea itself. As for the group you have not seen, I would rank them Potter, rings, and Pirates for origionality and story lines.
                I agree. And I'm not dogging the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. For whatever reason it just never appealed to me from the outside looking in.

                SO many thing have to come together for a movie to click.

                Look at Good Will Hunting. You put the wrong actors in that movie and it bombs. As it is it was a great movie.

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                • SycamoreKen
                  Member
                  • Jan 2004
                  • 10749

                  Re: What movie did you last watch?

                  I agree that the parts have to be just right to make a movie great. I have seen many movies where it would have been so much better had the main or even a supporting character had been played by someone else. Even a movie that is going very well can be ruined by a "why did they do that" moment.

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                  • Peck
                    Administrator
                    • Jan 2004
                    • 19953

                    Re: What movie did you last watch?

                    Infamous.

                    Very entertaining actually, superb acting job by Toby Jones. Also a stunning performance by Sandra Bullock. Absolutely nothing like any other acting she has ever done.


                    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

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                    • rexnom
                      Headband and Rec Specs
                      • Dec 2005
                      • 8726

                      Re: What movie did you last watch?

                      Originally posted by avoidingtheclowns
                      i would say it is much easier to make films now than even ten years ago. i would also say that studios release more films into theaters than they once did. given the quantity over quality mantra, you're going to have more crap. but it also means there are more really good to great films being made as well. ultimately the marketplace is flooded with both so the impact or perceived greatness of each film is watered down simply by volume. a film like the departed, had it been released in 1995, may have made JayRedd's list for epic 90s films. but 10 years from now, when trying to list the greatest films from this decade who even knows if would make an epic films list.

                      so while i'll agree that there aren't the same type of milemarker films as say the list JayRedd provided for the last decade, i think there just happen to be simply more product out there to search in.
                      Definitely. It's interesting to note that the Matrix opened up to about $28 million in 1999 (a big deal back then). Now, for comparison's sake, Mamma Mia opened up to about the same - while competing against the greatest grossing movie of all time (TDK), which raked in more than five times the Matrix and Mamma Mia.

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                      • Twes
                        dennaB
                        • Jul 2006
                        • 2937

                        Re: What movie did you last watch?

                        Originally posted by Peck
                        Infamous.

                        Very entertaining actually, superb acting job by Toby Jones. Also a stunning performance by Sandra Bullock. Absolutely nothing like any other acting she has ever done.
                        I've never heard of it.

                        Looks like a lot of big names in that movie.

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                        • DisplacedKnick
                          Member
                          • Jan 2004
                          • 9290

                          Re: What movie did you last watch?

                          Originally posted by avoidingtheclowns
                          i would say it is much easier to make films now than even ten years ago. i would also say that studios release more films into theaters than they once did. given the quantity over quality mantra, you're going to have more crap. but it also means there are more really good to great films being made as well. ultimately the marketplace is flooded with both so the impact or perceived greatness of each film is watered down simply by volume. a film like the departed, had it been released in 1995, may have made JayRedd's list for epic 90s films. but 10 years from now, when trying to list the greatest films from this decade who even knows if would make an epic films list.

                          so while i'll agree that there aren't the same type of milemarker films as say the list JayRedd provided for the last decade, i think there just happen to be simply more product out there to search in.
                          Depends what you're looking for too. The visual effects evolution has allowed films that are visually stunning but with mediocre acting. Go back even 25 years and the great films generally had great acting. Today you can have films like Titanic or LOTR where the visual effects and cinematography are great but the acting is pretty mediocre (I never realized just how bad the acting was in Titanic until I watched it a second time with a GF).

                          If you value acting performances over visuals I think the cupboard is pretty bare.
                          The poster formerly known as Rimfire

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                          • Shade
                            Administrator
                            • Jan 2004
                            • 51892

                            Re: What movie did you last watch?

                            Clerks 2. It never gets old.

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                            • JayRedd
                              It Might Be a Soft J
                              • May 2006
                              • 12150

                              Re: What movie did you last watch?

                              Originally posted by DisplacedKnick
                              If you value acting performances over visuals I think the cupboard is pretty bare.
                              C'mon...That's nuts.

                              Rescue Dawn, The Fountain, Last King of Scotland, Adaptation, Mystic River, Memento, Good Night and Good Luck, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 21 Grams, The Constant Gardener, American Splendor and The Pianist all feature truly great acting.

                              Then there's Leonardo DiCaprio's incredible four-year run (Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, the Aviator, the Departed and Blood Diamond), Crowe and Clooney's consistency/occasional greatness, and even an acting schlep like Tom Cruise coming strong in Collateral and being pretty decent in Vanilla Sky (though both movies completely fall apart towards the end). Daniel Craig played the best James Bond yet from an acting standpoint in Casino Royale. DDL's Daniel Planview and Bill the Butcher are both historically great performances. Viggo and Clive Owen are both impressing me more by the day. And all that is mostly just the big Hollywood fodder.

                              Throw in foreign films like City of God, Amelie, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Downfall and Maria Full of Grace I say that not only is there plenty of good acting out there...there is by far more great acting performances occuring today than ever before -- and they are certainly easier to find given Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, Netflix, etc.
                              Last edited by JayRedd; 07-25-2008, 11:20 AM.
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                              • Twes
                                dennaB
                                • Jul 2006
                                • 2937

                                Re: What movie did you last watch?

                                Originally posted by JayRedd
                                C'mon...That's nuts.

                                Rescue Dawn, The Fountain, Last King of Scotland, Adaptation, Mystic River, Memento, Good Night and Good Luck, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 21 Grams, The Constant Gardener, American Splendor and The Pianist all feature truly great acting.

                                Then there's Leonardo DiCaprio's incredible four-year run (Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, the Aviator, the Departed and Blood Diamond), Crowe and Clooney's consistency/occasional greatness, and even an acting schlep like Tom Cruise coming strong in Collateral and being pretty decent in Vanilla Sky (though both movies completely fall apart towards the end). Daniel Craig played the best James Bond yet from an acting standpoint in Casino Royale. DDL's Daniel Planview and Bill the Butcher are both historically great performances. Viggo and Clive Owen are both impressing me more by the day. And all that is mostly just the big Hollywood fodder.

                                Throw in foreign films like City of God, Amelie, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Downfall and Maria Full of Grace I say that not only is there plenty of good acting out there...there is by far more great acting performances occuring today than ever before -- and they are certainly easier to find given Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, Netflix, etc.
                                The reality for me... while some of those are in my "good movie worth seeing" category.

                                I don't see them as great. Several of them I don't recognize. Exceptions Collateral and The Departed which I loved.

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