I'd take SUPERMAN III (which I quite like) any day over SUPERGIRL, though I do agree with Eric that SUPERMAN IV was the worst of them all.
I watched SUPERGIRL not that long ago and it did not hold up well -- I actually thought it was much worse than it was upon viewing a few years back. For me the film's biggest problem, easily, is Helen Slater. She has zero charisma, no personality and nothing going for her in that movie whatsoever...ok, she looks cute in the uniform...but the movie absolutely dies because of her.
Ilya Salkind mentions in that recent Superman book that he convinced his father to go with Slater over Brooke Shields and what a mistake it turned out to be. Sure Brooke isn't a great actress but I think Shields at that point in time would have brought more to the table than Slater. In fact I couldn't believe how empty she was -- really with her being unable to anchor the movie it made everything else worse around her. (Actually the casting in general in that film is poor, from Hart Bochner to Maureen Teefy, and Dunaway and Cook's lame villainy)
As far as Goldsmith's score is concerned, it's decent, but I confess I liked it a lot more back in the '80s when I first heard it. And the Silva Screen album is way, way too long.
rate the last movie you saw
WALL-E (2008) - 8.5/10. Decent film that delivers the expected heart-stringy Disney stuff. I laughed when I saw that product placement for iPods...Disney and consumerism go hand-in-hand. That kind of bothered me. But ultimately it's a cute film with a "love transcends all" type message that is understandably appealing.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) - 1/10. I gave it a one since Lewis performance was outstanding. The visuals were gorgeous. Unfortunately, I couldn't help but feel that Anderson's negatively stereotypical portrayal of the church was some kind of grandiose critique of Christianity and it did offend me. Eli seemed to be painted as just as much of a con-artist as Plainview was and both were greedy. The final moments kind of made me feel that Plainview "beat" religion...I could be reading way too much stuff into it but I was very disappointed.
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AndyDursin
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I recall receiving a couple of nasty comments over at FSM after I ran my original review of this one. Frankly in hindsight I think I was too kind to that movie...Day-Lewis was so over the top it was ridiculous, and the movie's "meaning" could be boiled down to "life sucks, rinse, repeat" for 3 full hours. I also find Anderson to be incredibly overrated, nearly on a pedestal with Tarantino.mkaroly wrote:THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) - 1/10. I gave it a one since Lewis performance was outstanding. The visuals were gorgeous. Unfortunately, I couldn't help but feel that Anderson's negatively stereotypical portrayal of the church was some kind of grandiose critique of Christianity and it did offend me. Eli seemed to be painted as just as much of a con-artist as Plainview was and both were greedy. The final moments kind of made me feel that Plainview "beat" religion...I could be reading way too much stuff into it but I was very disappointed.
What's also funny Michael is my friend and I were literally just driving home from TERMINATOR and he brought THERE WILL BE BLOOD up and I started railing on it -- then I pop online and see your post! Must be something in the water...
I found Supergirl pure torture to sit through--the action was hilariously unimaginative and lame, and Slater looked good but came off as a real airhead, which is a real turnoff. But I didn't like the Superman movies, either.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a case of a movie being made in an accepted Artistic style, so it makes people think that's the same as making a work of art. When it ended I was like "You had me sit through all those shots of dirt and oil for THIS?"
THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a case of a movie being made in an accepted Artistic style, so it makes people think that's the same as making a work of art. When it ended I was like "You had me sit through all those shots of dirt and oil for THIS?"
John
It is cool to hear that some others didn't like THERE WILL BE BLOOD as well.
DODES'KA-DEN (1970) - 6/10. Beautiful film with vibrant colors, though lacked fluidity. Kurosawa addressed pain and suffering in a "light" way while still bringing out the horror of the existence these slum people endured. However, like Altman's SHORT CUTS or films like it, I found the story did not keep my interest as we bounced back and forth between the different stories of each family in the slum. Takemitsu's score is excellent. Not Kurosawa's best, but not his worst either.
DODES'KA-DEN (1970) - 6/10. Beautiful film with vibrant colors, though lacked fluidity. Kurosawa addressed pain and suffering in a "light" way while still bringing out the horror of the existence these slum people endured. However, like Altman's SHORT CUTS or films like it, I found the story did not keep my interest as we bounced back and forth between the different stories of each family in the slum. Takemitsu's score is excellent. Not Kurosawa's best, but not his worst either.
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Eric Paddon
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Well, we have to find ourselves on opposite sides of the fence re: "Supergirl", Andy and JS. To me, it's Slater herself who holds the film together even as she gets sabotaged by a weak script and a weak supporting cast. The idea of Brooke Shields (who I assume would have to have been given a blonde job for the film) really strikes me as a horrible idea and one that misses the point of where the film goes wrong.
"Superman III" is for me totally unwatchable. I was never a fan of Richard Pryor to begin with, and plunking him in a Superman movie only made a weak storyline a million times worse.
"Superman III" is for me totally unwatchable. I was never a fan of Richard Pryor to begin with, and plunking him in a Superman movie only made a weak storyline a million times worse.
I saw a few minutes of SUPERMAN 3 one late night on TV, and Richard Pryor was skiing off a building or something, and I was like 'What he hell is this, am I hallucinating?" After about an hour of flipping the channels I saw Robert Vaughan, cheap effects, and Supes flying through a canyon or something...
Pryor was a genius of using standup to introduce social issues; now every "comedian" does it, but they have neither his abilities, his self-awareness, or the kind of life story that makes such comedy work. Pryor's routine about his mother's funeral is both funny AND heartbreaking at the same time--these people today can't even be funny, they only mention hot-button issues and the audience chuckles ruefully, then applaud the "comedian's" reflecting their values back at them.
Pryor was a genius of using standup to introduce social issues; now every "comedian" does it, but they have neither his abilities, his self-awareness, or the kind of life story that makes such comedy work. Pryor's routine about his mother's funeral is both funny AND heartbreaking at the same time--these people today can't even be funny, they only mention hot-button issues and the audience chuckles ruefully, then applaud the "comedian's" reflecting their values back at them.
John
Le feu follet/The Fire Within - A
Louis Malle-directed movie about an aging playboy who, though married, still sleeps around, and is known for his hijinks and drunken antics--he won't grow up. He decides to kill himself, and spends a day walking around Paris reflecting on his life.
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but this is the kind of movie Woody Allen tries to make but can't. I may have to buy a copy of this, because it handles important material without the stridency or lack of insight or the sentimentality with which most movies of this type ruin such material.
Night and Fog - B-
Short, powerful documentary about the death camps by Alain Resnais. Although the score is praised, I think it hurts the material a bit, but not too much. Worth a hundred nights of History Channel Nazi documentaries. The images of bodies, heads, and the living conditions in the camps are potent and I won't soon forget them.
Louis Malle-directed movie about an aging playboy who, though married, still sleeps around, and is known for his hijinks and drunken antics--he won't grow up. He decides to kill himself, and spends a day walking around Paris reflecting on his life.
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but this is the kind of movie Woody Allen tries to make but can't. I may have to buy a copy of this, because it handles important material without the stridency or lack of insight or the sentimentality with which most movies of this type ruin such material.
Night and Fog - B-
Short, powerful documentary about the death camps by Alain Resnais. Although the score is praised, I think it hurts the material a bit, but not too much. Worth a hundred nights of History Channel Nazi documentaries. The images of bodies, heads, and the living conditions in the camps are potent and I won't soon forget them.
John
EL CID (1961) - 9.5/10. Outstanding, grand-scale entertainment with huge sets, lots of extras running around, a great score by Mikos Rozsa, and a powerhouse performance by Charlton Heston. I docked it a half of a point because Sophia Loren was lifeless and unconvincing...never thought she could act worth a crap. I really enjoyed the religious imagery in the film. There's just something about Charlton Heston and the epic film; his acting was so sincere and convincing. Definitely worth more than one viewing.
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Monterey Jack
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Great film. My review of the DVD:mkaroly wrote:EL CID (1961) - 9.5/10. Outstanding, grand-scale entertainment with huge sets, lots of extras running around, a great score by Mikos Rozsa, and a powerhouse performance by Charlton Heston. I docked it a half of a point because Sophia Loren was lifeless and unconvincing...never thought she could act worth a crap. I really enjoyed the religious imagery in the film. There's just something about Charlton Heston and the epic film; his acting was so sincere and convincing. Definitely worth more than one viewing.
http://www.dvdinmypants.com/reviews/A-G/el_cid.php
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Eric Paddon
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"Captain Nemo And The Underwater City" (1969). 6.5/10. Harmless fluff, but nowhere near the caliber of "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" or "Mysterious Island" chiefly because Robert Ryan as Nemo is so contemptibly self-righteous.
I know films like this shouldn't get docked for their lack of historical accuracy but I got a laugh hearing Chuck Connors say he had grown up on a "Kansas plain". The film takes place during the Civil War and Kansas had just become a state only two years earlier!
Great score by Stott/Morley and it was nice timing to get the CD and DVD on the same day.
I know films like this shouldn't get docked for their lack of historical accuracy but I got a laugh hearing Chuck Connors say he had grown up on a "Kansas plain". The film takes place during the Civil War and Kansas had just become a state only two years earlier!
Great score by Stott/Morley and it was nice timing to get the CD and DVD on the same day.
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AndyDursin
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- Location: RI
I just picked up from a UK order:
ROLLERCOASTER -- one of the better "disaster movies" isn't really a disaster film but a pleasantly nostalgic '70s thriller with a script by the Columbo/Murder She Wrote guys (I think) and Helen Hunt in an early role. Always liked George Segal in this too. The UK DVD is 16:9 enhanced whereas the US disc isn't, which is why I picked it up. Much better transfer as well in addition to the 16:9 encoding, plus a 3.1 (!) stereo soundtrack that attempts to replicate "Sensurround" at home.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING -- Another case of this being available in the US, but as an early "flipper" where you had to flip the sides. Superior presentation but no special features.
THE BED-SITTING ROOM -- Richard Lester's little-seen end-of-the-world comedy from the late '60s with Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, etc. BFI released it on both DVD and Blu-Ray with special features as well. Haven't gotten around to seeing it but I'm looking forward to it. (I bought the Blu-Ray edition, which is encoded as Region B).
ROLLERCOASTER -- one of the better "disaster movies" isn't really a disaster film but a pleasantly nostalgic '70s thriller with a script by the Columbo/Murder She Wrote guys (I think) and Helen Hunt in an early role. Always liked George Segal in this too. The UK DVD is 16:9 enhanced whereas the US disc isn't, which is why I picked it up. Much better transfer as well in addition to the 16:9 encoding, plus a 3.1 (!) stereo soundtrack that attempts to replicate "Sensurround" at home.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING -- Another case of this being available in the US, but as an early "flipper" where you had to flip the sides. Superior presentation but no special features.
THE BED-SITTING ROOM -- Richard Lester's little-seen end-of-the-world comedy from the late '60s with Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, etc. BFI released it on both DVD and Blu-Ray with special features as well. Haven't gotten around to seeing it but I'm looking forward to it. (I bought the Blu-Ray edition, which is encoded as Region B).
I didn't know BED-SITTING ROOM was available. I saw it just once on Channel 56 years ago, and some of the imagery left a definite mark.
I've had good luck rewatching movies I feared I wouldn't like after so many years--Let's Scare Jessica to Death and The Shuttered Room still worked for me 20+ years after seeing them--so I will roll the dice on this.
I've had good luck rewatching movies I feared I wouldn't like after so many years--Let's Scare Jessica to Death and The Shuttered Room still worked for me 20+ years after seeing them--so I will roll the dice on this.
John