rate the last movie you saw

[Eric Paddon]

"Dangerous Crossing" (1953) 8.5 of 10.
-Picked this up at Barnes And Noble as a discount yesterday and had a good time with it. This is what a good "B" picture from the studio system was all about, and the fact that they took advantage of using the sets built for "Titanic" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" to churn this one out quickly gave it a greater level of A-quality feel. The plot was a nice derivative of the "Lady Vanishes" gimmick with Jeanne Crain doing a fine job as the woman wondering what's become of her new husband.

-I also liked the supplements on this. A good nine minute featurette that showed side-by-side instances of the sets as used in the three different films, and the general tone being about the film as a great example of the efficiency of the studio system in action. The commentary track was also terrific, giving us production/studio history and not that psychoanalytical crap type that made the commentary track for "Fourteen Hours" (also in the Fox Noir series) so unbearable.

-As an addendum, I was pleased to see the CD Intrada put out of this a long time ago which passed unnoticed by me because I wasn't familiar with the film, was still available with "less than 30 copies remaining". Snatched it while I still could!

[AndyDursin]

THE EAGLE 7.5

Surprisingly good, well-made sword-and-sandal type adventure resists (for the most part) the temptation to be just a Gladiator clone. From the surroundings to the cinematography, attempt at developing character over action, this is a sturdy and entertaining film, even if it becomes standard fare in the final 30 minutes. Worth it. Even the Alti Whateverhisnameis score isn't bad either for the most part, with only some wailing female vocal and percussion interspersed amongst an actual orchestra.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS 10

One of my favorite movies of all-time, we watched the Blu-Ray last night and marveled at how high-definition can enhance one's appreciation of film. Anyone who thinks BD isn't a quantum leap forward from standard DVDs needs to have their eyes checked, especially in this instance. This transfer is beyond outstanding for its clarity and color, and an absolute steal at $8 that Amazon has been charging recently for the 2-disc set (that also includes Laurent Bouzereau zombie-smiling at Spielberg for 20 minutes during a recent featurette). I still prefer the Director's Cut over the other versions (the Special Edition I only like because of Williams' end title arrangement), but the disc has all 3 cuts plus all the extras...between that and Williams' classic score, this sci-fi landmark has special effects still more jaw-droppingly designed and executed than anything we see today. Kudos to Spielberg and Douglas Trumbull for balancing a personal journey with out-of-this-world alien contact that has a sense of wonder almost completely unseen in modern genre movies too.

[Monterey Jack]

The Black Hole (1979): 5/10

Like Tron and Krull, here's another late-70's/early-80's genre pic I never saw back in the day, and find it tough to enjoy from the perspective of a jaded adult viewer without a comforting buffer of built-in nostaglia cushioning the blow of its retro tackiness. The minature effects and matte paintings hold up (at least until the slapdash climax), as does John Barry's majestic/maddening score, but the googly-eyed robots right out of an episode of Lost In Space and mediocre acting and the bizarre 2001 For Kids finale keeps a potentially compelling outer space adventure from really engaging the viewer. Here's a movie where I'd actually welcome a possible (inevitable...?) remake.

[Paul MacLean]

Here's a movie where I'd actually welcome a possible (inevitable...?) remake.

Unfortunately remakes all seem to eschew everything that was appealing about the originals (the scores in particular) and retain everything that sucked about them.

[AndyDursin]

Like Tron and Krull, here's another late-70's/early-80's genre pic I never saw back in the day, and find it tough to enjoy from the perspective of a jaded adult viewer without a comforting buffer of built-in nostaglia cushioning the blow of its retro tackiness.

Kids can often spot an imitation though from miles away. The Black Hole was one of those times you couldn't fool them -- or at least me, because I absolutely hated the movie when I saw it on video as a kid and don't like it much as an adult either. (Judging from the movie's disappointing box-office returns I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one). Back in the day before Star Wars was on VHS we had to put up with The Black Hole as if it was some kind of substitute (which it wasn't!).

IMO the film has very few redeeming features. Some of the production design is interesting but the characters, direction and dialogue are all simply horrible. The Star Wars wannabe robots (voiced by Slim Pickens and Roddy McDowall), that canned post-synced Disney dialogue so prevalent in films of the era, and the weird ending...blecch. The concept of doing 20,000 Leagues as a sci-fi outer space saga wasn't bad, but the execution from the cast to the director just didn't come together.

Barry's score has some wonderful moments but is so goddamned repetitive that it drives me literally up a wall when I start thinking how many times the main theme gets repeated over and over and over again! lol. I know what you mean by "majestic/maddening."

[Monterey Jack]

Barry's score has some wonderful moments but is so goddamned repetitive that it drives me literally up a wall when I start thinking how many times the main theme gets repeated over and over and over again! lol. I know what you mean by "majestic/maddening."

Not to speak ill of the dead, but there's a point usually 2/3rds of the way through a typical Barry movie/soundtrack where the beauty of the main theme wears off and you just can't bear to hear it played the EXACT SAME WAY for the fiftieth time in a row. Someone like Jerry Goldsmith or John Williams could write a great tune, but they'd at least do VARIATIONS of said tune, not just play it OVERANDOVERANDOVER in the exact same arrangement for two hours straight. That's why Barry's style doesn't lend itself to the "complete & chronological" presentation favored by most of today's reissues...most of his scores play best at 45 minutes or less on CD. Hanover Street is a lovely score, but I inevitably start nodding off about halfway through the CD because Barry's style lulls the listener into this hypnotic state where, divorced from the narrative/visuals of the films they were attached to, it becomes this kind of non-descript "muzak". Barry's 007 scores managed to at least break up the monotony with the occasional action/suspense cue.

[AndyDursin]

I think what's also true about his BLACK HOLE score is that theme with the repetitious synth motif is just so ANNOYING. On some of his "romantic" scores I don't get tired of the theme, but with this score it's kind of ridiculous how redundant the score is.

I also agree with you on the HANOVER STREET album, which is too long and repetitive...but scores like THE SPECIALIST, SCARLET LETTER, etc., I don't mind the length at all. Sometimes depends on the movie, obviously.

[Monterey Jack]

I think what's also true about his BLACK HOLE score is that theme with the repetitious synth motif is just so ANNOYING. On some of his "romantic" scores I don't get tired of the theme, but with this score it's kind of ridiculous how redundant the score is.

I'm going to have that repeating "dee-dee-dee DEE-DEE-DEE-DEE!" motif running through my head for weeks, and in this case, that ain't a compliment. Plus the cheesy, faux-Star Wars brassy overture theme that was likely mandated by Disney. As far as Barry's space-themed 1979 scores go, give me Moonraker any day.

[Paul MacLean]

I don't like this film at all, but I find The Black Hole one of Barry's better efforts.

The main theme is definitely repetitive, but in the context of the film that was point -- the story centers around a spinning vortex that sucks everything into a void of hopeless doom, and that theme perfectly evokes this.

That said, I can understand why its repetitive nature might put off some listeners, but apart from that motif, there are some very powerful cues in that score -- "6 Robots" (the funeral scene), "Durant is Dead" and the climatic "Into the Hole" which is among Barry's best and most epic work.

[Eric Paddon]

I'll stand by my comments from earlier in this thread the last time I saw this film when I felt that The Black Hole rated a tick better than Alien when I watched the two of them back to back. I'm more charitable to Black Hole in part because my first exposure to it came as an adult so I was not viewing it as a "SW imitator" of the day but more the lens of what Disney in general was trying to do. As a result, if there's a film I'm comparing Black Hole more directly to it isn't SW but the last attempt Disney had made an action film which was 1974's "Island At The Top Of The World" which had landed with a giant thud (not helped by having David Hartman of all people as your lead!). "Black Hole" at least represented a step forward from what Disney had been doing in what was a low point for them creatively when they were just not coming up with much creativity following Walt's death and there was too much of a "keep things safe" mentality on all levels of Disney management from films to the theme parks. So it's because of those intangibles that I just can't find myself viewing the film as negatively as others have.

I also don't get why Barry's score comes in for such a drubbing. It does its job for the film and I actually like the "overture". It works well especially with that final synth note that helps set the tone for the feeling of this locale as a distant isolated place far away from Earth. That sense of being far away and there's this swirling black hole like a storm on the horizon is if anything the key to why the atmosphere this film tries to evoke at least works for me, and I consider that a testament to the skills of the Disney artisans who were also responsible for 20,000 Leagues a generation earlier.

I'm not calling the film great, I just think a 6.6 of 10 as I gave it suggests a film not bad and at least a decent time killer. I would have liked to have seen a more coherent ending (an article that described a proposed ending that was never shot but would have made it clear they made it back to Earth would have been good), but at least it was easier for me to take than say "2001".

[AndyDursin]

I guess I need to clarify my comments -- there are portions of Barry's score I like a great deal; like Paul said, the ending is terrific and there are many inspired aspects to it. I even liked the main theme -- the first two times I heard it. By about the 12th time I had enough of it.

I understand what the theme is trying to evoke, but how many times did he have to keep bringing it back, over and over, and every time (or close) in the exact same arrangement?

Then again what do I know. Someone at FSM called my comments about Tangerine Dream's LEGEND "crap...God knows it's better than Jerry Goldsmith's score."

[Paul MacLean]

Then again what do I know. Someone at FSM called my comments about Tangerine Dream's LEGEND "crap...God knows it's better than Jerry Goldsmith's score."

That guy is always ready with witty, articulate responses! A regular Oscar Wilde!

[Paul MacLean]

THE EAGLE 7.5

Surprisingly good, well-made sword-and-sandal type adventure resists (for the most part) the temptation to be just a Gladiator clone.

I just watched this as well. I thought it was very mundane at the outset -- the same old, same old we saw in Gladiator, King Arthur, Centurion, et al, but this a movie that markedly improves as it goes on. I agree the ending wasn't the most original, but I liked that it was as much a "buddy movie" as an historic actioner. It's definitely a good yarn, with great photography and arresting use of majestic Scottish locales too.

[AndyDursin]

It's definitely a good yarn, with great photography and arresting use of majestic Scottish locales too.

What I liked was that it looked natural too. He didn't bathe the movie in blue filters the way even Scott did on Gladiator -- it had a really nice sweep to it, even though it was a story about two guys, as you say Paul. I think it's a sleeper -- nobody mentioned it when it came out, but it's well worth seeing.

[mkaroly]

ANOTHER WOMAN (1988) - 8/10. Despite having a bunch of self-absorbed characters, I found this film pretty compelling about a character who has to come to terms with who she really is and discovers herself. The film is unsettling in a way but I thought it was very effective, especially as it moved towards its conclusion. I liked the way Allen filmed the journey of self-discovery so among his more serious films, I would put this one up there as one of his better ones.

OEDIPUS WRECKS - Allen and Julie Kavner worked really well together in this short film. It's light and fluffy comedy that Allen kind of phoned in, but it has a certain charm to it thanks to Julie Kavner mostly.

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989) - 10/10. I would rate this as Allen's most mature and finest film. The balance between comedy and drama is perfect for me; Judah's struggle with ethics and morality is convincing. Although the ending basically asserts that the universe is God-less and applauds humanity's attempts to live happy lives within an indifferent universe, for me at least I see something much more profound in the film ending on Ben and his daughter dancing.

I know Allen made Ben go blind becuase he was the most "blind" to reality though he is the luckiest in the end because he has a strong faith (which makes him naive). But I look at it differently. While Judah, Cliff, Lester, and Halley all have very narrow sight (Judah being the biggest loser), blind Ben actually has the most comprehensive and widest sight because he has faith and sees something bigger than himself as defined by his faith. I know that was not Allen's intention, but the more I see this film the more I love it. Great acting, great directing, and great story. It's too bad Landau did not win an Oscar for this because he nailed it. If Woody Allen could be said to have made a perfect film, this was it.