I still believe that SKYFALL was robbed of an Oscar nod for Picture and for Bardem in Supporting (would love to know how close they both came), but glad Adele won for her incredible song, one of the best Bond songs ever.

AndyDursin wrote:

Monterey Jack wrote:Loved Skyfall, one of the very best 007 movies ever made. I just pray that we'll get the gunbarrel back where it belongs in the next film...at the beginning!

Agreed! The one thing about Craig is that his character certainly isn't much of a lover -- 007 needs a real love interest in this next installment and not just a femme fatale who doesn't make it out of the picture alive.

All of the ingredients for a "classic" Bond film are firmly in place at the end of Skyfall...a new, male M (replete with a Dr. No-era office with the big, leather-padded door), a new Q, a new Moneypenny, and an apparently revitalized Bond ("Ready to get back to work, 007?" ~ "With pleasure, M...with pleasure."). The next film should be a "breather" Bond where they ignore SPECTRE or QUANTUM or whatever big criminal/terror organization is pulling the strings and just have Bond on a small-scale assignment where he gets some cool toys from Q Branch and lets laid. Daniel Craig has settled into the role admirably, and Mendes introduced some quippy humor back into the series with Skyfall ("I think I like you better, without your Beretta"), so I'd like to see the series develop along those lines...re-introducing the "fun", globetrotting aspects of the movie franchise while retaining the controlled edge of Skyfall and Casino Royale (let's just agree to forget Thingy Of Whatsis, hmmm?). It's a thin tightrope to walk...too far in one direction, and the series will slide back into the overblown, overproduced camp of the Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan days, and too far in the other and you get a shakey-cam, humorless slog like Something Of Boris. Casino Royale and Skyfall got the mixture just right. All I want from the next film is a smidgen more humor, the gunbarrel back in its proper place, more romance (with a Bond Girl who's still breathing by the end credits), and David Arnold back on scoring duties...all apologies to Thomas Newman, who I generally respect, but where was the damn THEME in Skyfall? It was complex, astute dramatic scoring as usual from him, but it lacked the melody and "fun" aspects of the best John Barry and Arnold soundtracks.

SKYFALL's big problem really is the music and the female lead, whose demise was just too obvious. I think if the film had written in a legitimate female lead it would've worked and been even more satisfying -- as it is, it's one of the only films in the series that doesn't have a "Bond girl", just another "sacrificial lamb" as it were.

Some humor and ANY romance would be good to see in the next film. Alas, if Mendes is directing, I would expect Newman to come back to deliver another nondescript, worthless score -- the sole positive you can say about his contribution that it could've been truly awful like Eric Serra. It's not that, obviously -- it's serviceable -- but it doesn't add anything to the movie either. The one cue that I remember liking was an orchestral version of the Adele song!

But, it is a very good film indeed, and Deakins' cinematography was as outstanding as his work with the Coens.

AndyDursin wrote:SKYFALL's big problem really is the music and the female lead, whose demise was just too obvious. I think if the film had written in a legitimate female lead it would've worked and been even more satisfying -- as it is, it's one of the only films in the series that doesn't have a "Bond girl", just another "sacrificial lamb" as it were.

What I liked about the movie was that the Bond girl was M this time (IMO) - the film managed to clear the stage so the two of them could have their final moments together, and I think it worked perfectly. I haven't been this emotionally moved by a Bond film since OHMSS. Outstanding accomplishment, and I felt Bond's and M's scenes together towards the end of the film were incredibly well done. Great way to round out the "trilogy" of Craig movies.

mkaroly wrote:

AndyDursin wrote:SKYFALL's big problem really is the music and the female lead, whose demise was just too obvious. I think if the film had written in a legitimate female lead it would've worked and been even more satisfying -- as it is, it's one of the only films in the series that doesn't have a "Bond girl", just another "sacrificial lamb" as it were.

What I liked about the movie was that the Bond girl was M this time (IMO) - the film managed to clear the stage so the two of them could have their final moments together, and I think it worked perfectly. I haven't been this emotionally moved by a Bond film since OHMSS. Outstanding accomplishment, and I felt Bond's and M's scenes together towards the end of the film were incredibly well done. Great way to round out the "trilogy" of Craig movies.

It also goes to show how poorly that element was handled in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, where M was likewise kidnapped and Bond saved her, but there was no emotional component to it at all in that movie.

AndyDursin wrote:SKYFALL's big problem really is the music and the female lead, whose demise was just too obvious. I think if the film had written in a legitimate female lead it would've worked and been even more satisfying -- as it is, it's one of the only films in the series that doesn't have a "Bond girl", just another "sacrificial lamb" as it were.

There's no question the score needed themes (and richer harmonies and fuller orchestrations); the action cues were a bit noisy, and simplistic and too percussion-driven. That said, I did think Newman's scoring of the love scene on the yacht was very nicely done. But it's too bad Sam Mendes doesn't appreciate the value of a strong, melody-driven score.

You actually can be contemporary and "hip" in a Bond action cue, and melodically and harmonically interesting at the same time...

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
7.5/10

Not the Coens' best work, but still an engaging journey that has more than a few echoes of O BROTHER with its Odyssey-inspired plot (not just explicitly referenced once but also in "The Incredible Journey" poster the title character passes by at one point late in the film) and music-driven soundtrack. Both a time capsule of early '60s Greenwich Village with a terrific set of songs and a character study of an obnoxious though oddly appealing artist who can't seem to get anything together -- though comes out at the end having, at least, seemingly learned something from it all (how much we'll never know, as the Coens give us an ending that leaves much of its "plot" still dangling in the air). But this, like many of their other films, is less story-driven than it is about the journey the lead character takes, with some odd moments (particularly the whole bit with John Goodman on the road to Chicago), quietly poignant sequences and funny bits along the way. It doesn't all come together like their best features, but it still hangs with you.

One song in particular, "If I Had Wings," is the best original song I've heard in any film over the last couple of years. That it didn't get a nomination is a joke.

AndyDursin wrote:

mkaroly wrote:

AndyDursin wrote:SKYFALL's big problem really is the music and the female lead, whose demise was just too obvious. I think if the film had written in a legitimate female lead it would've worked and been even more satisfying -- as it is, it's one of the only films in the series that doesn't have a "Bond girl", just another "sacrificial lamb" as it were.

What I liked about the movie was that the Bond girl was M this time (IMO) - the film managed to clear the stage so the two of them could have their final moments together, and I think it worked perfectly. I haven't been this emotionally moved by a Bond film since OHMSS. Outstanding accomplishment, and I felt Bond's and M's scenes together towards the end of the film were incredibly well done. Great way to round out the "trilogy" of Craig movies.

It also goes to show how poorly that element was handled in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, where M was likewise kidnapped and Bond saved her, but there was no emotional component to it at all in that movie.

I agree with that, but I don't think they were ready to make that move. The Brosnan Bond morphed into a "super-hero" of sorts which hurt him IMO. It made more sense to me that Craig's Bond got that moment with M - even if they had done it with Brosnan I don't know that it would have been as emotional a moment. They were too concerned with keeping the "Bond and female M as equals" thing going through the films. I felt TWINE could have been a much better movie if you left the villain as Elektra and kept the dude with the bullet in his head out of it. Elektra was enough of a villain to handle the movie, so in that respect they blew it. Also hated Denise Richards as a (lol) physicist.

Paul - that's my favorite cue from TWINO - completely agree with you there!

mkaroly wrote:Paul - that's my favorite cue from TWINO - completely agree with you there!

I think it's Arnold's best Bond cue period! And it's a testament to the score that that scene loses almost none of its impact with the sound effects removed and Arnold's music playing by itself.

There's a lesson to be learned here, Mssrs Mendes, Fincher and Nolan.

I have to go with his TOMORROW NEVER DIES score -- I think that's the best Bond score he composed. Certainly the k.d. lang song is one of the best Bong songs period, even if it was stupidly relegated TO THE END CREDITS!!! bastards!!!

AndyDursin wrote:I have to go with his TOMORROW NEVER DIES score -- I think that's the best Bond score he composed. Certainly the k.d. lang song is one of the best Bong songs period, even if it was stupidly relegated TO THE END CREDITS!!! bastards!!!

It was absolutely criminal to have kd Lang's song at the end...huge mistake. Completely eclipses Sheryl Crow's song.

THE LEGO MOVIE 6.5/10

Broadly speaking, today's animated movies can be divided into two categories, those that are primarily driven by story and characters, and those that rely on a fast pace with lots of action and jokes. Disney and Pixar do a great job at the former while Dreamworks is better at the latter. THE LEGO MOVIE (released by Warner Brothers) fits easily into the action/jokes category. The plot is a variation on the classic "hero's journey" story. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that kind of story, THE LEGO MOVIE is too reminiscent of Star Wars and The Matrix, among others. We have the young male hero (voiced by Chris Pratt) destined to be someone special (in this case he is literally called The Special), the spunky heroine (Elizabeth Banks), the wise mentor (Morgan Freeman), the cranky sidekick (Lego Batman voiced by Will Arnett) and the villain (Will Ferrell).

The hero, a construction worker named Emmett, lives his life going with the flow. He follows the instructions (which naturally look like a Lego manual) and thinks he is happy until he encounters Wildstyle (the heroine) and Vitruvius (the mentor) who believe Emmett is The Special. The villain, Lord Business, is out to stop them and maintain control over the Lego world. What follows are lots of colorful action scenes featuring about a zillion Legos with plenty of one-liners and inside jokes. Several familiar characters make appearances in their Lego forms, including a certain well-known movie franchise.

There is a great scene near the end in which we learn the true identity of the villain and what the stakes are. It's quite clever and I wish more of the movie had been devoted to scenes like this one. The directors also struggle with mixed messages. At times, it seems the message is to be an individual and be creative, but at other times, it's good to be part of a team.

I should note that I didn't see this under ideal conditions. My kids and I saw it at a film festival screening. It was free, but we had to sit near the back of the theater, which I don't like because I cannot see very well. My lack of equal vision also made it impossible to see the movie in 3-D. I watched most of it without the glasses which of course made it blurry. And then there were the two bathroom breaks. So I might have missed something. Whatever the case, my kids loved it and I bet lots of other kids will love it too.

LONE SURVIVOR
8/10

Gut wrenching and exceedingly well-made account of Marcus Luttrell's survival against Taliban forces in Afghanistan -- while the rest of his squad was wiped out. Mark Wahlberg and the rest of the performances are convincing, Peter Berg's direction is suspenseful, and the film does impart a vital message that not every individual in the country is a religious zealot, even if their opposition receives little play in the media. A remarkable true story, very well handled.

I should add though this is one more "dramatic" film I've seen in the last 2-3 years where a few older moviegoers couldn't keep quiet. In this case we had "grandma and her friend" who had to make "Oh that's terrible!" comments after every bit of gore and violence in the picture. Kudos to my wife for telling them to keep quiet (and they did), but I don't understand what it is about this TYPE of film that encourages more bad behavior in theaters than the big blockbusters. I've sat through movies like THE HUNGER GAMES and DARK KNIGHT and you could hear a pin drop during them...even with lots of kids. I don't get it!

THE WIZARD OF OZ 9.75/10

Have always loved this film and have watched it in different iterations over the years-many times on broadcast TV, several times in theaters (went to the TCM digital showing in Los Angeles a few years ago when they did a nationwide screening for the 70th anniversary) and quite a few times on home video. Last night my wife and I were watching JonTron on the Escapist website-he was doing a story on music and the movies and took a look at this film from a music point of view which was very interesting. My stepson came into the room and started watching it and remarked as to how WOO had never grabbed him when he was younger (he has Asperger's) and by the time the piece was over he pretty much demanded to see the film. So, I grabbed my Blu-Ray disc from the 70th Anni. box set and put it on the home theater.

Having not watched it in a small setting in a while I was struck by a number of things which my stepson pointed out (we also paused the film A LOT, just to let you know)-how Auntie Em seemed to have all the time for things around the farm but not time for Dorothy and her problem with Toto (although Ray Bolger made perfect sense when he told Dorothy not to go near Miss Gulch's home so Toto would not get into trouble, but Dorothy just told him he did not understand), how the Munchkin army has guns but did nothing against the Wicked Witch, how Glinda pretty much left Dorothy out to dry in regard to the Wicked Witch, etc. Now I have shown the film to kids from about Kindergarten age to about 10 and I would say the vast majority of them were completely enchanted by it, considering how old it is, but I realize that so many young people today watch this film and get bored real quickly because of little flaws in characterization or plot or acting styles. Things that our ancestors and us would not really think of or not even see have become chinks in the armor of what many consider to be a classic or a masterpiece. Some of it can be ascribed to political correctness (for example-the constant complaints by either communities or parents about the language in Twain's HUCKLEBERRY FINN, which took its most absurd twist with a bowlderized version that a school district tried to acquire some years ago) but most of it can be that film technique and style has really changed over the years (M-TV'd, so to speak), to the point where a film like this that some years ago hearing a negative comment would amount to blasphemy, now may not be as beloved as it used to be. Movies are faster paced, with quicker cuts, unusual camera angles and movement (Can you imagine an L. B. Mayer ever allowing a director at MGM to use "shaky-cam" shots in their film? They would be replaced immediately and another director brought in without a moment's hesitation-a star was not allowed to be shown waking from a night's sleep unless they were completely made-up with not a hair out of place, and the showing of a toilet actually caused Mayer to prevent King Vidor's THE CROWD from winning at the first Oscars.), lens flare and busy soundtracks that probably would make Hawks and Altman need to have the scene repeated to enable them to hear the dialogue.

There is a different attitude towards the "Hollywood" style of filmmaking today-the polish that so many who love to watch classic films is rarely there anymore, except from a few directors (Spielberg, Scorsese in most cases, Eastwood) who either were part of the old studio system in its fading days or who somehow have the same eye that those directors had, probably from absorbing so much technique from watching those films. We have more visual effects that can make anything possible, but using them in a way that puts them in service of the story rather than the other way around is becoming more and more difficult for filmmakers to do these days. Cameron, Ang Lee, Tarantino, Hanson, Affleck, Bigelow, Nolan and others who have real talent sometimes have a tendency to rely on CGI to carry the ball instead of the story, but when the story is trusted and allowed to be in control, that is when their films are at their best.

Directors, writers and producers (and even astute studio heads like Thalberg, Zanuck, Selznick, Wallis and Disney) knew that without a good story, you were not going to get a good film, let alone a great one. Today, sadly, story has taken a back seat to eye candy, the sizzle is more important than the steak, and masterpieces like THE WIZARD OF OZ, which has remained as beloved a piece of our culture as you can possibly imagine, will grow fewer and far between because what is produced now is much more disposable and easily replaced with something new. The last film to remain atop the box office for more than a month was years ago, and that a film could do that for 4 months like TITANIC did (a film I still enjoy to this day and which I think will regain its reputation as time goes on) is impossible now...sadly.

My only quibble was why Glinda insisted that Dorothy be made to wear the ruby slippers in the first place, which was put her in danger!

This remains a classic I like to see again too and it also shows off the whole dream factory quality of MGM in its prime like no other film did, IMO. I always wish we could have seen some of the other cut material restored since the absence of any songs after "If I Were King Of The Forest" I think hurts the pacing a little. If "The Jitterbug" had to go, at least it would have been nice to retain the triumphal return number with the reprise of "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" instead of the dissolve to the Wizard's lair.