rate the last movie you saw

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3136 Post by Paul MacLean »

AndyDursin wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:09 am The image of Barry looking at the ship in the doorway is also probably the most indelible shot of the entire film IMO.
No argument here. What also impressed me is that all the shots within the house (including the "open door" shot) were accomplished with lighting and camerawork and practical effects (and of course music) -- no opticals. And (as in the case with Jaws) it is far-more effective because of what we don't see, as opposed to what we do.

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Monterey Jack
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3137 Post by Monterey Jack »

AndyDursin wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:09 am Like Ridley Scott's work, I feel there's a "contemporary" component to Spielberg's filmmaking that keeps his films fresh. Outside of elements that stamp a certain film as a product of its time, the way the characters react and act to each other in a Spielberg film is remarkably "current". JAWS is much the same.
Seeing both Jaws and CE3K in theaters for the first time (in 2015 and last year, respectfully), it was thrilling to see how even viewers in their teens and younger were still enthralled by both...I saw Jaws in a packed house, and the screams and laughs all came at just the right moments, and the film received a wave of applause at the end. :) And while my screening of CE3K was sparsely-attended in comparison (and frustratingly marred by a ten-minute featurette at the beginning ruining many of the film's biggest "money shot" surprises! :x), those who were there were clearly into it. Aside from some very minor issues with clothing and technology, both films have a timeless quality to them, and the Douglas Trumbull effects in CE3K in particular are still awe-inspiring to this day. Yeah, you could argue that the shark in Jaws "looks fake", but credit Spielberg for cutting around the technical deficiencies and keeping his monster in fleeting glimpses that only amped up the film's directionless tension (much like Ridley Scott did in Alien). As someone who probably has a twinge of Asperger's or something similar, it's also very easy to relate to Richard Dreyfuss' painful struggle with the swirling, alien-implanted obsessions in his mind and making a choice between pursuing them and being the devoted husband and father that society expects from him. Some people object to Dreyfuss "abandoning" his family (even Spielberg himself balks at the idea and says he could never have ended the movie the dame way if he made it today), but in the end, the movie is a metaphor for artistic obsession trumping everything else in a person's life, and I still find the film profoundly moving.

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3138 Post by Paul MacLean »

Monterey Jack wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:48 pmAs someone who probably has a twinge of Asperger's or something similar, it's also very easy to relate to Richard Dreyfuss' painful struggle with the swirling, alien-implanted obsessions in his mind and making a choice between pursuing them and being the devoted husband and father that society expects from him.
Again I suspect a lot of this comes from Spielberg's own childhood and his parents' split. Roy and Ronnie are married -- but have no deep connection or mutual bond that holds them together. She completely rejects Roy's dilemma, and acts as if he can simply "switch it off". Only Jillian understands where Roy is at psychologically and spiritually, which is why they bond. (I'm not advocating divorce mind you, just making an observation!)

I have never been diagnosed, but I too probably have a measure of Asperger's, given my tendency to fixate on arcane topics or art forms or pastimes, and the somewhat limited range of people with whom I am able to comfortably interact and converse with. I've also been involved with one or two "Ronnies" myself -- either gals I dated, or women who were interested in me, but all of whom seemed adamant I needed to change and become more "conventional".
Last edited by Paul MacLean on Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Eric Paddon
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3139 Post by Eric Paddon »

I've stated my reasons for being less than overwhelmed by CE3K in the past. I think the problems for me are twofold. (1) To me the whole film does not deliver on its build-up. It's scary and suspenseful at the beginning and then gives me a payoff that makes me feel not particularly satisfied because I can't buy the idea that the aliens are that "good" since I've seen them not just abduct a child under scary circumstances, but hey if they're responsible for all the Bermuda Triangle disappearances like Flight #19 then think of all the pain and suffering that's been inflicted on those family members too! (2) I would have if anything been more satisfied with Roy and Jillian falling in love and becoming a couple because they recognize the shared qualities that can let him have the kind of mutual relationship he doesn't have with Ronnie. But to just bring that to an end and then show him going off without even so much as a final message of like "Tell my wife and kids, I'm sorry," just makes the ending that's already got one strike against it for becoming drawn out and not delivering on what was promised (from my standpoint) even weaker from my standpoint. (And since I saw the Special Edition version first, I still have this lingering, hard to shake feeling that Roy gets turned into an alien! I know that's not the intent but when you get that first impression with a childhood viewing it lingers in the mind forever).

One amusing bit of production trivia I read about. During the newscast on Devil's Tower, you can hear the reporter say in reference to the anchor, "Order your steak well done, *Walter*" and Roy later talks about chasing a "Walter Cronkite story" but it's Howard K. Smith who introduces the report that played on the TV. Spielberg had filmed that news report first fully expecting he was going to get Cronkite to do the lead-in part and how he specifically wanted to avoid using Howard K. Smith who kept appearing in a lot of movies and TV productions during this time. Then he discovered too late that the reason for Smith's constant presence was because ABC was the only network that permitted their news anchors to play themselves in any kind of fictional drama and that CBS wasn't going to give permission no matter how much Cronkite might have wanted to do it. So Spielberg had to settle for Smith.

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3140 Post by AndyDursin »

(1) To me the whole film does not deliver on its build-up. It's scary and suspenseful at the beginning and then gives me a payoff that makes me feel not particularly satisfied because I can't buy the idea that the aliens are that "good" since I've seen them not just abduct a child under scary circumstances, but hey if they're responsible for all the Bermuda Triangle disappearances like Flight #19 then think of all the pain and suffering that's been inflicted on those family members too!
Seeing as none of those pilots have aged at all when they reappear at the end, it's implied the concept of time/space does not apply to the aliens or doesn't in the same way. So what they are doing to them/for them likely wasn't harmful in their minds if the abductees hadn't aged or experienced the progression of time being with them (or wherreever they went). I mean, maybe they've only been gone for a few days or weeks in "Earth time"!

As for the abduction, that's a fair point though if Barry's mom hadn't locked all the doors and tried to keep them away from him, it wouldn't have been a "hostile takeover" -- when they appear to Barry early in the movie they're making him laugh in a way that not only calms him but makes him follow them through the woods. Had she not been around, he probably wouldn't have had that kind of horrifying experience (as for why they didn't go about abducting him in the same way they "introduced themselves," I can't answer that. Maybe they were on a tighter schedule! lol).

It sounds like the film would've been more satisfying for you had it explained more -- but that's exactly what I love about the film. I didn't need everything spelled out for me in terms of what the aliens are doing and where they're from. Some of it is rightly left up to the imagination in that regard, and why the film is continuously rewarding IMO.
! (2) I would have if anything been more satisfied with Roy and Jillian falling in love and becoming a couple because they recognize the shared qualities that can let him have the kind of mutual relationship he doesn't have with Ronnie. But to just bring that to an end and then show him going off without even so much as a final message of like "Tell my wife and kids, I'm sorry," just makes the ending that's already got one strike against it for becoming drawn out and not delivering on what was promised (from my standpoint) even weaker from my standpoint.
For me, I felt the movie delivered exactly what it promised, and I definitely didn't need any more time spent on Roy's "love life" and who he was going to end up with, or not. The movie builds up to the end beautifully and perfectly in terms of a) where Roy is going and b) mankind's first meeting with the aliens. A line of dialogue about his kids -- OK, I get that, but the movie isn't about them at that point. It's about what's driving him and what mankind is about to experience, not whether or not Roy is choosing Jillian or just making a maudlin goodbye to his family. That's the kind of thing that would've made the end much more melodramatic, soapy and drawn out IMO. For me, there's enough of the "domestic element" in the movie as is, and may have been too much of it, to begin with, in the original cut (which Spielberg understandably tinkered with, trying to find the right balance with).
But to just bring that to an end and then show him going off without even so much as a final message of like "Tell my wife and kids, I'm sorry," just makes the ending that's already got one strike against it for becoming drawn out and not delivering on what was promised (from my standpoint) even weaker from my standpoint. (And since I saw the Special Edition version first, I still have this lingering, hard to shake feeling that Roy gets turned into an alien! I know that's not the intent but when you get that first impression with a childhood viewing it lingers in the mind forever).
Paul's sister felt the same way! Actually makes me laugh seeing as there's nothing at all that would even imply that other than one's imagination. :lol:

mkaroly
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3141 Post by mkaroly »

One dimension of the movie that always struck me is that it tells the story of Roy discovering (and being placed) where he belonged in the universe. Looking at it later as an adult, Roy is in a broken home, a child who never grew up; he ends up being a surrogate father to the aliens (I always thought the aliens looked very "childlike" and had the impression that Roy became their "father" by the end) and finds his place/purpose in the universe as a grown man.

Granted, the plot point with Ronnie and his kids is never truly resolved, but in all fairness to Roy's character it is Ronnie who takes the kids away from him. He doesn't technically abandon them. And I never struggled with his decision to turn away from Jillian and Barry because that wasn't his character's purpose. He found, as others have said, a kindred spirit in Jillian and she was the bridge (like a friend or someone you care deeply about but just can't go further with relationally) who understood him, believed in him, and helped him find where he belonged. Their relationship arc is one of the most moving things about the film for me.

ET is still my all-time favorite Spielberg film. I saw it at a time in my life where its themes of friendship and having to say goodbye hit me in real life like the perfect storm. I cry worse and worse every time I see it. CE3K is a masterpiece to me not for its reflection on friendships and things like that (as in ET) but in its narrative of someone finding what his purpose is in the universe is. Great film...and now I need to watch it again!!

Eric Paddon
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3142 Post by Eric Paddon »

AndyDursin wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:46 pm Seeing as none of those pilots have aged at all when they reappear at the end, it's implied the concept of time/space does not apply to the aliens or doesn't in the same way. So what they are doing to them/for them likely wasn't harmful in their minds if the abductees hadn't aged or experienced the progression of time being with them (or wherreever they went). I mean, maybe they've only been gone for a few days or weeks in "Earth time"!
Yeah, but my point isn't so much what happened to them as the fact that now their families are all old or dead. Not exactly a mark of benevolence.

And I admit I am someone who needs to have certain loose ends tied up if they've been presented as an integral part of the film. To me, an extra line here or there is not going to detract from the overall presentation. Yes, some things can be left to the imagination but to me, it's just not good writing when something is left loose that doesn't need to be and can be cleared up in five seconds or less of screen time. Asking for a line here that will make Roy seem just a little bit less of a deadbeat to those who are inclined to think that way isn't the same thing as asking to know just who the heck the truck driver is in "Duel."

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3143 Post by AndyDursin »

How do you know that they're aware that's how time works here? Youre just assuming they have all the answers when theyre probably as in the dark about us as we are them.

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3144 Post by Paul MacLean »

mkaroly wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:49 pm One dimension of the movie that always struck me is that it tells the story of Roy discovering (and being placed) where he belonged in the universe. Looking at it later as an adult, Roy is in a broken home, a child who never grew up; he ends up being a surrogate father to the aliens (I always thought the aliens looked very "childlike" and had the impression that Roy became their "father" by the end) and finds his place/purpose in the universe as a grown man.
That's such a lovely moment, when he smiles incredulously at the visitors, and they take him by the hand and lead him toward the ship. And as none of the other human "travelers" are surrounded in the same way, it seems that only Roy is chosen to make this journey.

AndyDursin wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 6:31 pm How do you know that they're aware that's how time works here? Youre just assuming they have all the answers when theyre probably as in the dark about us as we are them.
I would add that, who's to say how long Roy will be gone? It may be years, or (as in the case of Barry) a week or so. My guess is that he did in time return to Earth (on a related note -- it's surprising Spielberg never made a sequel).

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3145 Post by mkaroly »

Paul MacLean wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:57 pm
mkaroly wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:49 pm One dimension of the movie that always struck me is that it tells the story of Roy discovering (and being placed) where he belonged in the universe. Looking at it later as an adult, Roy is in a broken home, a child who never grew up; he ends up being a surrogate father to the aliens (I always thought the aliens looked very "childlike" and had the impression that Roy became their "father" by the end) and finds his place/purpose in the universe as a grown man.
That's such a lovely moment, when he smiles incredulously at the visitors, and they take him by the hand and lead him toward the ship. And as none of the other human "travelers" are surrounded in the same way, it seems that only Roy is chosen to make this journey.
Yes! The look on Roy's face says it all - he has found peace, purpose, meaning, fulfillment, etc., something that most every human being (I imagine) craves, desires, and can relate to. Agreed that it is a lovely moment in the film...and as a viewer, one feels Roy's relief and joy at that moment (in addition to being uplifted by Williams' scoring throughout the whole contact sequence). It is a credit to everyone involved in the making of that moment in the film.

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Paul MacLean
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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3146 Post by Paul MacLean »

mkaroly wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:24 am
Yes! The look on Roy's face says it all - he has found peace, purpose, meaning, fulfillment, etc., something that most every human being (I imagine) craves, desires, and can relate to. Agreed that it is a lovely moment in the film...and as a viewer, one feels Roy's relief and joy at that moment (in addition to being uplifted by Williams' scoring throughout the whole contact sequence). It is a credit to everyone involved in the making of that moment in the film.
In a sense -- and maybe this sounds weird, but -- while the film is outwardly about aliens contacting humankind, I almost see Roy Neary's experience as a metaphor for a religious conversion. He experiences something deeply personal and spiritual (from "above") which brings him into a new and deeper state of being, but his wife cannot begin to understand what it is, or means. She wants to erase it (literally, with the fake tan cream), dismisses it as a "phase", and finally flees from the situation, unable (and unwilling) to accept it.

I've seen varying levels of this kind of thing between couples when one of them experiences a spiritual conversion, and the other won't budge from their secular mindset.

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3147 Post by mkaroly »

It doesn't sound weird at all to me - he is literally taken up into the heavens at the end of the film; Ronnie, as you said, cannot understand/accept it, interprets it as a breakdown/insanity (on some level), and runs away from it with the kids as her solution.

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3148 Post by jkholm »

Paul MacLean wrote: Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:49 am In a sense -- and maybe this sounds weird, but -- while the film is outwardly about aliens contacting humankind, I almost see Roy Neary's experience as a metaphor for a religious conversion.
This is my take on the film as well.

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3149 Post by Monterey Jack »

-Anastasia (1997): 8.5/10

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Re-visited this for the first time in years (today's snow made me think of it...I always associate this film with wintertime), and it's held up over the last twenty years(!) surprisingly well. It was brushed aside as Ersatz Disney back in the day, but it's actually better than some of the studio's animated fare of the period. Boasting lavish animation (presented in Cinemascope), a lively song score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (with Oscar-nominated incidental scoring by David Newman), fine voice work by a talented cast (Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd) and a poignant, involving storyline, it's a charming, terrific piece of family entertainment that makes me lament the virtual extinction of "old-school" hand-drawn animation these days. :( Shame that co-directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman had only one other feature (the underrated sci-fi adventure Titan A.E.) to their credit after this.

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Re: rate the last movie you saw

#3150 Post by AndyDursin »

SHAKEDOWN (***)

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By equal measure a mix of “Serpico,” “Law & Order” episode and B-grade actioner, the very entertaining SHAKEDOWN makes its Blu-Ray debut this week from Shout! Factory.

A well-reviewed Shapiro/Glickenhaus Entertainment production that met with modest box-office after being picked up by Universal for theatrical release, “Shakedown” stars Peter Weller as a burned out NYC defense attorney assigned to represent a drug dealer (future “Law & Order” prosecutor Richard Brooks) who’s slain a “Blue Jean” (undercover) cop he claims was in self-defense. Weller uncovers vast corruption in the police department during his investigation and requires the help of a grizzled detective (Sam Elliott) to work his client out of trouble – all while avoiding bad cops who want both of them dead.

James Glickenhaus’ directorial career is mostly populated with low-grade thrillers and “Shakedown” pretty much represents his peak – working with a larger budget than usual, “Shakedown” makes exceptional use of Big Apple location shooting and gives Weller a plum role that showcases his intensity. He bounces off Elliott well, though the veteran co-star doesn’t have nearly as much to do outside of several gut-busting action sequences: a car chase through 42nd street, a Coney Island rollercoaster pursuit of a suspect, and finally, a one-of-a-kind, bonkers climax involving a red Ferrari and a jet that eventually makes its way through the World Trade Center towers in an outlandish bit of filmmaking that’s nevertheless an awful lot of fun.

“Shakedown” received the coveted Two Thumbs Up from Siskel & Ebert and a number of other solid reviews (3-stars from Leonard Maltin too), and it’s a tidy, effective little film that tries to say something meaningful about police corruption at the same time it just wants to entertain by any means necessary. The action scenes are silly but they’re also finely executed, especially the climax (shot at a runway in Quonset, R.I.) that showcases the kind of old-school, real stuntwork that’s sadly become a dying artform in the 21st century due to Hollywood’s heavy reliance on CGI.

Shout’s Blu-Ray features a respectable 1080p (1.85) AVC encoded presentation that’s far from pristine yet is still a cut above most Universal catalog transfers. The 2.0 DTS MA stereo audio is more impressive in its delivery, featuring a fine mix of effects and location-based audio; even Jonathan Elias’ electronic score is superior for its genre as well. Extras here include a sporadic commentary with Glickenhaus, an interview and introduction from the director, plus a segment where the director discusses his run-in with jazz great Miles Davis after an accident in New York City. A still gallery and trailer round out the disc. Recommended!

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