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    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeDec 31st 2007
    It's always easy to pick films like these apart but having said that I do agree with EVERY SINGLE WORD YOU SAID!

    I think there are times when you need to be in exactly the right frame of mind to watch something and this was definitely the case earlier, another day and it may well have irritated me.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  1. To me that film has the best sequence of the three films, the Waterloo sequence. To pull off a sequence like that with a real crowd in the background catching trains, etc is pretty impressive. The rest of the film never quite hooked me like that, though the Tangiers scene came close.

    I agree abut the CIA finding him anywhere in the world being a bit silly at times. As was Bourne's invulnerability - the car crash he limps away from is a bit much for me. And Bourne's powers of subterfuge had increased exponentially. When he appeared in David Strathairn's office, I started to wonder whether he had a double a la The Prestige.

    I didn't mind the shaky-cam aspect, and I don't think it's there to make up for poor choreography or anything. It's just Greengrass's style - he thinks it makes the film more intense, as though every shot is on some level slightly confusing for the audience to work out.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
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      CommentAuthorAtham
    • CommentTimeDec 31st 2007
    Saw Antonement yesterday which was very well made. Very moving by the end! I liked it but my wife was unimpressed. She thought it was boring.
    Now watching Twilight Zone : The Movie. I still love Terror At 20,000 Feet with John Lithgow.
    Sounds like Goldsmith had plenty of fun on this score.
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 31st 2007
    Erik Woods wrote


    Oh ya... Powell's score was very good but Supremacy is easily the best of the series.

    -Erik-


    Indeed, by far; not to mention one of his best scores of all time, totally loving it!
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 31st 2007
    franz_conrad wrote
    You should see NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN though. Not much dialogue in that, and what is there is pretty rich language, but the blocking of the montage and sound design are perfection. The Coens have never done better - and I love a lot of their earlier work.


    WOW! I did want to watch that and i am a big Coen fan; now that i've seen this, i am SO watching it asap! Thanks Michael, and for the ZODIAC points as well, you made a couple of good ones i haven't thought of before. Still the film bored me to death and that won’t change but it did make slight after-sense through your reply. wink
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
  2. That hand held thing is really starting to piss people off. When I watched that BBC series The State Within I thought my head might explode, but after some time I got either used to it, or they reduced the shaky factor by 10. Great series, though.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeDec 31st 2007
    Christodoulides wrote
    franz_conrad wrote
    You should see NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN though. Not much dialogue in that, and what is there is pretty rich language, but the blocking of the montage and sound design are perfection. The Coens have never done better - and I love a lot of their earlier work.


    WOW! I did want to watch that and i am a big Coen fan; now that i've seen this, i am SO watching it asap! Thanks Michael, and for the ZODIAC points as well, you made a couple of good ones i haven't thought of before. Still the film bored me to death and that won’t change but it did make slight after-sense through your reply. wink


    Hey D, have you ever seen the original The Ladykillers?
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeDec 31st 2007
    No, just the remake shame (which i liked btw)
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2008
    Christodoulides wrote
    No, just the remake shame (which i liked btw)


    Try and seek out the original and you'll see why it's deservedly called a classic and with a brilliant and inspired cast.

    I love the Coen's but they should never have tried remaking a film like this, they were always on a loser attempting it.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeJan 1st 2008
    I will mate, thanks!
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
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      CommentAuthorBobdH
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008 edited
    Just got back from a Cinema night out, watching two films on the big screen in a row.

    DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN (THE LIVES OF OTHERS)
    A really good film, as I expected actually from 'the best film of 2007'. The story was suspenseful, the themes of right and wrong intriguing and the characters engaging. It's unbelievable things like this happened so recently, and so close to Holland (I know it's kinda arrogant, but when you realise these kind of things were taking place after my birth, just next door, it leaves an impact). The repression in Germany during 'the wall' is a subject very rarely touched upon in modern film, but I think this film gives a good idea of how it was, back then.

    EARTH
    This just completely blew me away... The visuals are no less then stunning, and not just the subject (nature, in its most awesome form), but, as opposed to what I expected, the cinematography is amazing as well. This goes beyond Animal Planet, it's really skilfully shot and edited with a great sense of pacing, wonder and the sounds of nature.

    When we see a slowmotion of a cheetah (?) hunting down its prey, the symbiosis with the lonely vocal in the score is just utterly haunting. In general, the whole film was carried by the score, enhancing everything (even though the friend I was with thought the music to be overbearing, I completely disagreed).

    But, not everything is brilliant; though Patrick Stewarts voice was nice and he knew how to narrate it in a subtle way, taking second place to the visuals, sometimes you just want him to shut up (hopefully, there'll be an option to view the film without him on the DVD). And the final message on LoveEarth is, even though they're so right, a bit much. It felt like we just watched a huge and spectacular commercial for GreenPeace.
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    Scribe wrote
    Martijn wrote
    I Am Legend
    Will Smith is the last man alive in the world. Will Smith looks pained. Will Smith looks troubled. Will Smith looks buff. A lot of CGI Gollums come up to eat him, but fail, as he isn't the last: there's a girl whom God has given coordinates to man's last hide-out in Vermont. Will looks pained. Will looks troubled. Will looks buff. There are fights with Gollums. Will blows up (but very pained, troubled and buffly) and girl finds hide-out. The End.
    Absolute shite and a complete waste of time, without any redeeming virtues whatsoever.
    So of course a sequel apparently is already in the making.
    1.5 out of 5


    I saw I Am Legend. And I love it. But I think your description of it is so entirely hilariously perfect that I can't argue with it! biggrin


    Haha! Neither can I! biggrin
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      CommentAuthorBregje
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008 edited
    Scribe wrote
    Martijn wrote
    I Am Legend
    Will Smith is the last man alive in the world. Will Smith looks pained. Will Smith looks troubled. Will Smith looks buff. A lot of CGI Gollums come up to eat him, but fail, as he isn't the last: there's a girl whom God has given coordinates to man's last hide-out in Vermont. Will looks pained. Will looks troubled. Will looks buff. There are fights with Gollums. Will blows up (but very pained, troubled and buffly) and girl finds hide-out. The End.
    Absolute shite and a complete waste of time, without any redeeming virtues whatsoever.
    So of course a sequel apparently is already in the making.
    1.5 out of 5


    I saw I Am Legend. And I love it. But I think your description of it is so entirely hilariously perfect that I can't argue with it! biggrin

    Ugh, this movie really sucks. I've seen it too. Partially...
    until it got scary and weird (never watch a movie without checking the genre first rolleyes ).
    So from there on I stopped watching but I kept listening to the rest of it with one ear. I thought it was horrible.
    0.5 point for the effort, no wait, for the dog and 1 point for recognizing Shrek as a classic, hehe, so 1.5 points indeed. Out of 10.
    wink


    Luckily for me Love Actually was on TV too. cheesy
    One of the best Christmas movies ever. I still think it's brilliant and moving in each and every way.
    Is it a 'chick movie'? I'm not sure... I guess not? It's too funny and serious at times for that.
    tongue
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    Bregje wrote

    Luckily for me Love Actually was on TV too. cheesy
    One of the best Christmas movies ever. I still think it's brilliant and moving in each and every way.
    Is it a 'chick movie'? I'm not sure... I guess not? It's too funny and serious at times for that.
    tongue


    Are you saying chicks lack a sense of humour while at the same time incapable of taking things seriously? biggrin wink
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    Enchanted
    Disney attempting to parody Disney as a Cinderella/Snowwhite princess is dropped from a 1940s Disney animated film setting into 2007 New York by the Evil Stepmother/Queen trying to defend her throne.
    Hilarity ensues as she tries to attempt to live a cartoon life (singing, dancing and asking people to "just smile" ) in cold and cruel modern day life. Ho ho.

    Absolutely abysmal and insepid. The parody never works as irony and Disney are pretty much exclusive concepts. It IS cynical however in its sad attempt to bot have its cake (the innocent Disney magic of yore) AND eat it (in a world where irony has become the new sense of wonder). I can see the Disney board members OK'ing this idea with the animated dollar signs in their eyes and cash register sound effects in the background).

    The sad thing is the idea could have worked, had they tried and play it straight: one inspired scene sees our Princess trying to clean a NY appartment. As in proper Cinderella/Snowwhite tradition she does not go it alone, but calls, through song, her small animal friends to help... and it actually works... but rather than deer, chipmunks and mice she's getting rats, pigeons and cockroaches...who all do help!

    Sadly, that's the only bit of inspiration in the whole film, as for the rest all of New York suddenly has turned into Mary Poppins extras who carry squeaky clean blue coveralls and for no reason whatsoever carry huge yellow flowers in their pockets.

    The cast is equal to the thankless task, even though Susan Sarandon hammily chews up the scenery as the Evil Queen.
    Move along folks.
    Nothing to see.

    1.5 out of 5
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    Steven wrote
    Bregje wrote

    Luckily for me Love Actually was on TV too. cheesy
    One of the best Christmas movies ever. I still think it's brilliant and moving in each and every way.
    Is it a 'chick movie'? I'm not sure... I guess not? It's too funny and serious at times for that.
    tongue


    Are you saying chicks lack a sense of humour while at the same time incapable of taking things seriously? biggrin wink


    And I always thought women could multi-task? cheesy wink
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorDemetris
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    Why Martijn mate, why!?
    Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders.
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    It seemed like a good idea at the time.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    biggrin

    The year hasn't started with good ideas then.
    Perhaps due to too much drinking the day before?
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008
    I have been drinking quite heavily afterwards, I can tell you.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorBobdH
    • CommentTimeJan 2nd 2008 edited
    Just got back from The Golden Compass with my sister and couldn't help feeling afterwards I'd better go watch Enchanted with her. This post proves I made the right choice, though wink
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      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2008
    You chose...wisely.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
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      CommentAuthorScribe
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2008
    No! Only cold and heartless people don't like Enchanted!!!
    jk biggrin
    I love you all. Never change. Well, unless you want to!
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      CommentAuthorNautilus
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2008
    Martijn wrote
    You chose...wisely.


    So...Will he live forever? tongue
  3. Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy

    * spoilers may be present*

    I have seen the first part at least three times, but finally saw Part two and three on DVD. I must admit pretty good movies. All of them. Of course, Part One is almost a swashbuckling masterpiece, YES even with the anachronistic score, to those I will come later, but especially the witty dialogue, great acting (Bloom up to his abilities, which aren't amazingly big, but his character is not much more luckily), especially by Depp, though Knightley and Rush aren't far away (Jonathan Pryce is maybe a bit wasted - his part could have been bigger) . GREAT photography (to that later too, because of one simple detail).

    Part two, well, worse. Not as bad as Demetris says, but it got too magical and too little "piratey". Davy Jones is an amazing character, evil yet tragic and Nighy's acting shows that pretty well. Depp is still great. Knightley has a bit more action (her demand). Setpieces are just plain amazing - Cannibal Island escape, Wheel of Fortune fight, Kraken/Dutchman battle. The end is really too tragic to be left unmoved. Last shot - brilliant.

    Part three... The worst part, yet Rossio and Elliot still have something to say, with scenes like Up Is Down being pretty great. First appearance of the Dutchman is really great, with the tragic arrangement of the Davy Jones theme as heard in At Wit's End - brilliant use of the best moments on album. It becomes more of a fantasy horror though and gets too serious. Finetti and Ragetti are largely wasted, with some of the best trilogy lines being given to them in Part Two (amazing discussion on The Bible), though on the other hand brilliant single situations - look at the telescopes, monkey threatening Mr Cotton's parrot with a gun and the parrot's response "PARLAY!", great references to part one (RUM!), return of the two soldiers idiots, who protect Jones' heart... Some great action stuff too- The final battle with the maelstrom... Great thing. Brethren Court and Parlay scenes are great. I pretty much like (in both parts) the restrained evilness of Cutler Beckett. Keith Richards was peculiar

    To the music. Part One, Three, Two, I'd say. Zimmer and Co. made an amazing in-film score for part one. It FITS. For some reason it does. Zimmer hides swashbuckling elements pretty deeply, mostly in the rather simplistic triplet-oriented string parts and some triplets in the brass writing. It plays out like a typical MV score, which rendered it already a popular album if the film was to be successful, which it was. The score really works and some of the best cues in film are left unreleased (first version of Wheel of Fortune, which was basically re-written for a large ensemble in the later parts), some of the trumpet/brassy material (live ironically, I think) for the establishing shots... Part three plays out like an adventure - what Zimmer does with his score in Singapore, Up Is Down and the final battle goes beyond the typical Zimmer fare. He works even better than usually. Some little blunders, but e.g. Calypso's ritual couldn't have been scored differently (though fantasy scene works out as a horror), destruction of Endeavour is too long as a scene and Zimmer's pathos doesn't add much. Hoist the Colours theme used amazingly everywhere, especially before the Brethren Court. Part two, well. Zimmer got it too serious at times (the whole Family Affair stuff) though the new themes are really amazing, Sparrow and Kraken aside - Davy Jones grew to be one of my Zimmer's favorite themes, but the rest doesn't work so well. Setpieces have amazing score - Wheel and Cannibal Island (Dinner Is Served makes the scene funny, that's what it was about), the drama/horror scenes - not so much. Zanelli's Tia Dalma material is rather an asset, though.

    Now a final sentence to the photography. Camera work is simply amazing. Makes me proud that Dariusz Wolski - the cinematographer - is my compatriot.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorScribe
    • CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
    Great post smile
    I don't agree with everything you said....mostly because I think part 3 is one of the most perfect films (from an entertainment standpoint) I've ever seen. But I love reading posts that are well thought-out and are long enough to actually READ...rather than just glancing at... cool
    I love you all. Never change. Well, unless you want to!
  4. Good post above re: POTC.

    I re-viewed THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM last night, and also viewed the 'follow-up' to Tom Tykwer's HEAVEN - Danis Tanovic's HELL (L'ENFER). L'ENFER and HEAVEN were two of the three parts of Kieslowksi's planned trilogy (HEAVEN, HELL, PURGATORY) before the Polish master died. (Kieslowksi also made the peak of 90s cinema - the TROIS COLEURS trilogy.) Both BOURNE and L'ENFER were very good! It was my second viewing of BOURNE. I do think that BOURNE's best music cue - 'Tangiers' is crushed in the mixing of the motorcycle chase in that part of the film.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
    PawelStroinski wrote
    Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy

    * spoilers may be present*


    Oh no, that would be such a shame... rolleyes tongue

    wink
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      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeJan 5th 2008
    franz_conrad wrote
    Good post above re: POTC.

    I re-viewed THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM last night, and also viewed the 'follow-up' to Tom Tykwer's HEAVEN - Danis Tanovic's HELL (L'ENFER). L'ENFER and HEAVEN were two of the three parts of Kieslowksi's planned trilogy (HEAVEN, HELL, PURGATORY) before the Polish master died. (Kieslowksi also made the peak of 90s cinema - the TROIS COLEURS trilogy.) Both BOURNE and L'ENFER were very good! It was my second viewing of BOURNE. I do think that BOURNE's best music cue - 'Tangiers' is crushed in the mixing of the motorcycle chase in that part of the film.


    What do you think of the piece of music after the album version of 'Tangiers'? Certainly worthy of album presentation I'd say!
  5. Yes, I think so. I also think the music before that - leading up the explosion that kills Neil Daniels - should have been included. I also noticed some worthwhile material from the Waterloo cue left off the album, but you can't have everything, I suppose.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am