rate the last movie you saw

[mkaroly]

EXORCIST III in spite of its post-production issues is also very much worth seeing (EXORCIST II is only good for some laughs). And Harlin's EXORCIST IV, though uneven and plagued by bad FX, is at least watchable (more than I can say for Schrader's terrible DOMINION).

I remember seeing EIII in the theaters. There is that one scene in the hospital ward (wherever it was) in which the camera was set up at one end of the hallway and the nurses station was set up on the other end. I was sitting in the back of the theater; the whole sequence from the time the nurse checks out the noise to the time she went back to the desk was so well done...you could feel the tension in the theater. When the payoff came (unexpectedly I might add), I swear that everyone jumped at the same time (including me). It was one of the most memorable moments I've ever had watching a film in a theater because I saw the whole audience jump!

[Eric Paddon]

The Omen to me is a much more chilling film, simply because of the subject which has interested me over the years and also because growing up I saw too many lame movies put out by low-budget Christian film companies in the 70s that tried to deal with the same subject of the Book of Revelation and the end. The Omen doesn't win any awards from me for theological accuracy but it doesn't stray too far to offend and it also deals with the element of terror associated with the end in a compelling fashion that always manages to spook me out. It's too bad that Final Conflict had to be so laughably ludicrous and disregarding of continuity.

Exorcist I have seen and am not as impressed by. Yes, it goes for the same level of chills but honestly there are too many weak links for me not the least of which is Lee J. Cobb in a performance that is the most blatant rip-off of Peter Falk's Columbo imaginable. I was also laughing out loud at how Friedkin and Blatty tried to insist that Levinson and Link stole the character from Kinderman, but that conveniently forgets that the Columbo character was created first in a 1961 stage play.

[Monterey Jack]

When I had seen it in a sold-out theater back in 2000, the entire audience filled mostly of college age kids sat in silence throughout it.

Lord how I wish I had your audience experience, Andy.

[AndyDursin]

When I had seen it in a sold-out theater back in 2000, the entire audience filled mostly of college age kids sat in silence throughout it.

Lord how I wish I had your audience experience, Andy.

Yeah I remember it well, because it was the Friday night it opened at 10pm and it was packed. Other than the expected ooo's and aaah's during some of the more horrifying moments, the crowd was really attentive and into it, and they were mostly college aged kids.

A classic film, brilliantly made and performed.

[Paul MacLean]

The Omen to me is a much more chilling film, simply because of the subject which has interested me over the years and also because growing up I saw too many lame movies put out by low-budget Christian film companies in the 70s that tried to deal with the same subject of the Book of Revelation and the end.

There sadly is no shortage of those movies, none of which seem any more accurate to me than The Omen films!

Personally, the Omen movie I like the best is Damien: Omen II. It's got its problems but I find it a much more interesting character study -- and a scarier movie. The opening with Leo McKern getting buried alive is genuinely disturbing, and throughout the film it is truly chilling to watch this essentially nice kid assume his destiny as the prince of darkness. The twist with Lee Grant in the final scene is also quite a shock the first time you see it!

In all candor I even prefer Goldsmith's Damien: Omen II score to the original Omen. Despite the absence of a love theme I find it to have more variety and to develop better than the previous score.

[Eric Paddon]

"The Omen" benefited at the time from a fad in "End Time" circles that Hal Lindsey had popularized that there would be a tie-in to the European Common Market as a fulfillment of prophecy and Warner's character makes a reference to that at one point.

Omen II works as a sequel because it pulls off the seemingly impossible task of managing to maintain continuity despite the fact that apart from McKern's cameo at the beginning, no one continues from one film to the next. It's amazing how that regard went totally out the window in Omen III, even to the point where Damien is grown-up in the early 80s which would mean the first film took place in the 50s! (not to mention how they forgot that to kill Damien, you have to use ALL SEVEN daggers, not one; amusingly this gaffe was what later produced an "Omen IV" novel that brought back Robert Foxworth's character from Omen II)

[AndyDursin]

I like all the Omen films -- I don't consider them classics or even remotely close to being so -- but they're fun and I watch them every October (speaking of which, it's about time to fire them up! The Blu-Rays are terrific Eric and the three-film trilogy set is usually discounted cheap this time of year).

DAMIEN OMEN II is a movie I find entertaining but I also think it's a film of blown opportunities. Instead of doing something truly interesting or unique with Damien uncovering his true nature (relegated to a few scenes with Lance Henriksen's character and that's it), it's basically just a carbon-copy retread of the first movie (bunch of gory deaths, rinse, repeat; instead of Leo McKern trying to uncover the truth there's the guy who ended up being Kathleen Robertson's dad on 90210, etc.) with only fleeting moments of inspiration. Might have been more interesting if Damien were a little bit older because there was only so much mayhem he could inflict being a young teenager (I think someone mentioned this in the documentary materials). I did like the Lee Grant/Robert Foxworth "twist" but it wasn't really developed as much as it should've been. It still "gets the job done" but it's not exactly a good film, probably the result of all the behind the scenes problems with Mike Hodges having been fired and all of that.

FINAL CONFLICT...I've been over this before...it's likewise a miss, but I contend there are some dynamic moments in it (the fox hunt is a great scene; the opening, with nothing but Jerry's music, is nicely done) and Goldsmith's score is so good I can watch it anytime and still get into it. Seeing it infrequently and knowing what's to come makes the letdown over the ending something you can live with over time...I love that Damien "gets it", and how can you not love Goldsmith's music, but Graham Baker just so poorly handled that whole element. I wonder if the script was really a problem (Andrew Birkin ended up writing several of Jean-Jacques Annaud's films) or if Baker was just out of his league directing it. Still I like it, Neill's uncertain performance and all. It's also interesting how it's stylistically closer to the first Omen (bringing back the British setting, Damien's "dog", the Italian priests) as well.

Neither film for me is a home run but they're quite entertaining and very well made, and how many "high class" studio horror trilogies are there in the world? It has a very unique place in the horror genre for that very reason.

[mkaroly]

BEN-HUR (1959) - 10/10. Amazing movie...colors on the BR are vibrant and gorgeous. Rozsa's score is amazing, the chariot race still delivers on the tension and drama, and the acting is superb (though over-the-top). It's hard not to like this film...just gets better every time I see it.

[Eric Paddon]

Edward The Seventh (1975) (BBC) (7.5 of 10)

This 13 part BBC drama I had been wanting to see for years because as a child I remember it airing once a week on WNEW Channel 5, and while I only actually watched one episode back then I can still remember the VERY long trailers for each episode that would seemingly run every day when I was watching cartoons after school (they showed those promos set to a stately version of "Rule Brittania" which I also remember). It's because I remember those trailers so well that I was seeing familiar looking scenes in the episodes when I finally sat down to watch.

It's a great primer of sorts for understanding these aspects of British history in this period. I'm still never wholly used to the British approach that freely mixes tape and film for a production, and the worst problem is that they can get overly talky at times, but as a historian I found it fascinating to sit through. Now I still have to get myself to do the same with similar dramas like "I, Claudius" someday!

[Jedbu]

Also picked up the BD of BEN-HUR...absolutely gorgeous! I can still remember the little shimmy that was so noticeable in the opening credits of the first DVD-this has got to be one of the most crystal clear BDs I have yet seen, and the sound is just incredible. Love the box set that WHV put together, especially the new doc on Heston, which is both very entertaining and moving.

PULP FICTION and MAN WHO WOULD BE KING BDs are next-nicely priced at Best Buy.

[John Johnson]

It's a great primer of sorts for understanding these aspects of British history in this period. I'm still never wholly used to the British approach that freely mixes tape and film for a production, and the worst problem is that they can get overly talky at times, but as a historian I found it fascinating to sit through. Now I still have to get myself to do the same with similar dramas like "I, Claudius" someday!

There were a variety of reason why British tv series used film on location and video tape for the studio, but the main one being budgetary. Series such as Doctor Who, Colditz, Secret Army and Blakes 7 to name but a few were filmed on 16mm and then video for the studio work.

[Paul MacLean]

Now I still have to get myself to do the same with similar dramas like "I, Claudius" someday!

I highly recommend I, Claudius, which I still regard as the best drama in television history. Flawlessly written, with first-rate performances from a number of actors who would go on to greater fame -- Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Brian Blessed, John Rhys-Davies and Patrick Stewart.

It's definitely an "interior" drama -- no epic shots of downtown Rome or legions on the march, but it is a penetrating look at the inner workings of the empire and the often-treacherous people who ran it. Claudius' lifelong friendship with Herod Agrippa is also a significant part of the story.

[AndyDursin]

PIRATES 4: ON STRANGER TIDES 7/10

A definite improvement on the prior two sequels -- but still not in a league with the first movie. Much more low key, and almost seemingly lower budget too, this one substitutes the large scale FX sequences for talky and not always compelling plot stretches. Depp is still fun but seems a bit long in the tooth at this point. New supporting characters do help, though if anything more time should've been spent with the young missionary and the mermaid.

Overall though, mainly because the bombast was dailed down significantly (even in Zimmer's score), I kind of liked it, in spite of the fact that it's no great shakes...despite racking up $800 mil in foreign box-office alone (over $1 bil worldwide). No wonder why they want to keep making them!

[mkaroly]

POLICE ACADEMY - 1/10. I rented this out of curiosity as to whether or not I would find it as funny as I did when I was younger. Aside from the podium scene this movie totally does not hold up...not funny. However, a young Kim Cattral is always a pleasant thing! Nearly everything about the movie: story, editing, payoffs, humor, etc. was just really bland and unfulfilling. I thought that they were basically trying to remake STRIPES (can't remember which came out first); no one in the film was charismatic enough to make it work.

[AndyDursin]

no one in the film was charismatic enough to make it work.

I haven't seen any of those films in a long time but they were very, very popular when I was in grade school -- the first film was R-rated, but the sequels became progressively more aimed at kids (going to PG-13 and then eventually PG ratings) and did well at the box-office. I remember watching 2 while my parents and I were on vacation in Florida (I think I was in 5th grade) and the audience loved it...as memory serves it also was better than the first one (Bobcat Goldthwait essentially launched his career in that movie too).

We often hear talk about them resurrecting the series too -- after 7 (or was it 8?) sequels and an animated TV series, you'd think they would eventually get around to a "reboot" seeing as they made so much money on them.